


Animal Crossing: Survival Days

by ReddestReaction



Category: Creature Street, My Time At Portia (Video Game), Stardew Valley (Video Game), どうぶつの森 | Animal Crossing Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, F/F, F/M, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, More on the Way - Freeform, Multi, Multiple Crossovers, This Is STUPID, Video Game Mechanics, if you want to call it that, soft apocolypse, turned into a long as story, was supposed to be a simple prompt, writing prompt from Tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:27:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27284179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReddestReaction/pseuds/ReddestReaction
Summary: After a while of playing Animal Crossing, i watched a video with the premise of “what if i went back to my original animal crossing world and time still passed while i was gone? And i was like, “that’s sounds interesting” and looked for Animal Crossing fics where they were in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Seeing that there aren't any, I decided to write one.
Relationships: Kento | Digby/Takumi | Lottie, Mayor/Shizue | Isabelle, Villager/Villager (Animal Crossing)
Kudos: 1





	Animal Crossing: Survival Days

After a while of playing Animal Crossing, i watched a video with the premise of “what if i went back to my original animal crossing world and time still passed while i was gone? And i was like, “that’s sounds interesting” and looked for Animal Crossing fics where they were in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Seeing that there aren't any, I decided to write one.

**So let’s set the stage…**

Like in the game, My Time at Portia, this will take place in a country that is owned by wealthy landowners who basically mooch off of the lords of the villages who take care of their villagers. We will name the country, Nookling Junction, owned by the Nook family. Along with this country, they have a company, Nook and Cranny, which enforces villages to pay their mortgages and keep their villagers morale high.

The Cranny family, a bunch of bounty hunters, who keep zombies from reaching villages. You have the option of paying for their services but it costs a lot so it’s kinda just best to convert one after building your defenses.

**Leveling**

You are settling down in a new settlement inwards of the Junction, a village that you have to name. Based on natural generation and level setting, you can get the following siblings:

Level Zero: (Leisure): Cole and Dottie- this is for the people who just like to go around and collect things, mostly a build-you-town in a dystopian setting mode where you don’t have to worry about zombies

Level One (Easy): Fauna and Erik- everything is built, you just need to fix everything, tend to your villagers, and pay off your debt

Level Two (Default): Isabelle and Digby- you need to build defense, zombies attack at night time, tend to your villagers, and pay off your debt

Level Three (Hard): Tauro and Vivian- random zombie attacks throughout the day, harder to find resources, needs to build defenses and houses, and pay off your debt

Level Four (Expert): Isadore and Mckenzie- start off with nothing but a lot and angry villagers, zombies attacks at random, need to build the whole town, villagers won’t socialize until they feels safe and are more prone to leave, and pay off your debt

**Your place in the story…**

When you enter the village, these two will be your helpers and guides as well as the only other villagers who know how to combat.

You will be given 8 different villagers, randomly selected in which you can direct to do any kind of job that you want them to do. However this will affect their morale and social standings. As time goes on you can build to have up to 20 villagers, however if certain needs are not met villagers will leave, the lowest number you can have is 2.

The mechanics of the game:

**Currency**

You will still have Bells as a currency, every month you must gather 3000 bells in order to pay Meow and Bow (who have a redesign that isn’t hideous) who now work as collectors for Tom Nook. If you don’t you will come to find structures broken and things missing in your village in the middle of the night, with a note from Timmy and Tommy saying to “pay up next time”. Each time you do not pay the rent, the more severe it gets.

You can get bells from talking to your villagers, completing tasks, trading with other villagers, village commissions, and by going outside and hunting zombies and other monsters. You can also gain items with the daily gift box that you can shoot from the sky or dig up from the ground. 

**Morale**

Along with Bells, you now get Treats. Treats help raise morale and will be given when achievements are met (like in Minecraft… sorta). You can give treats to villagers when morale gets really low.

Hearts will be the scale of showing your bond with villagers. I think there should be 10 of them. This urges you to interact with villagers, making sure they go up. If you don’t they will go down. Along with Hearts they will have a scale from Angry face to Smiley face (with their being Pouty face, frowny face, blank face, grin face in between) showing their morale. Also, you can have a Heart face which allows you to romance villagers, if you choose. If your villager has anything less than a grin face, their work methods will be altered. Frowny faces result in them not working at all.

You can ask either of your representatives about the morale in your village and ask them to help you defend and raise morale in your village.

**Defense**

You can now build traps for zombie attacks and upgrade your walls. Zombie attacks are more fierce during night time and less likely to happen during the day. Keep in mind where traps are because they can damage your villagers and you if set off. This will result in your villager getting a frowny or angry face, refusing to work and interact with you for a couple of days.

You can also hire someone from the Cranny Monster Hunter Services, however this will cost you bells. The hunter will be random everytime you pay for the service, the most one can stay is 10 days for 1000 bells. In this time you can interact with them in hopes of converting them into a villager and keeping them in the village.

You can upgrade weapons and suit up your villagers just in case.

**Infection and Death**

Yes, you read right. Villagers can die! If a villager gets infected by a zombie, they have 3 days to be cured before they die! This interaction is non-negotiable and spawns a headstone that you place and a special character who digs the grave of your villager where the headstone lays. This is an incentive to take care of your city.

You villagers can also starve to death if there is no food. Several days without food is insta-death. Also Angry face for 7 days causes your villager to leave, which may end up with them dying.

The cure for an infection is hard to get but once you get it, luckily it can be farmed in your village.

**Interaction**

Each character will have generic text options, as well as backstories, ambitions, and even potential relationship options. You can give your villagers gifts and receive gifts from them, invite them on dates, and enjoy events with them. Sometimes you’ll get notifications about villagers being in relationships or getting into fights. 

Sometimes you will get letters, notes, or requests from the villagers that can increase your social standing with them. You can visit their houses once invited in after gathering 3 hearts with the owner. Other times they might suggest things for the village to raise morale.

**Factions**

There are different factions you can join to raise social standing and give you better chances of getting the villagers that you want. By schmoozing certain villagers, you can strengthen the bond between you and the factions.

  * Commerce
  * Traders
  * Refugees
  * Hunters
  * Settlers (town)
  * Etc.



**Other villages**

You will have 4 other villages (Wildbell, Belldenn, Mythport, Ringsten, and Traderun) around you that you can visit and trade with, each one including their own mayor. You can also visit a refugee camp, where you can recruit villagers when you have a vacant house ready for them.

**Villagers**

After thinking about it Villagers will be assigned a RANK and a TYPE. Like the original animal crossing villagers, they have TYPES such as CRANKY and SISTERLY. However there are only 8 of those traits… I’m making 12. Each trait is now gender neutral for more options.

**Types:**

  * Rude (Grumpy)- are more likely to insult you when scared, complain when something isn't working or up to their standards, get into fights with others
  * Familial (Sisterly)- are more willing to help you when assigned a task, asks about your health, visit your house to talk, and forgive you after falling into a trap
  * Snooty- are more than likely not going to help you, tend to belittle your significance, take things without asking
  * Humble- are more likely to do honest work when assigned task, avoid rude villagers, help out when asked
  * Preppy- are more likely to throw parties to raise morale, cheer people up, befriend newcomers, be excited about new developments
  * Jock- are more likely to fight zombies, play games to raise morale, 
  * Smug (HardHeaded)- tend to get themselves in trouble, refuse help, make rash decisions
  * Lazy- most likely to refuses to do work, 
  * Normal - are most likely level headed and be able to be reasoned with
  * Crazy- most likely to cause fires and explosions, laugh maniacally, antagonize others for amusement
  * Loners- most likely likes being left alone, get uncomfortable in crowds, appreciate quality time
  * Timid- most likely are afraid of zombies, voice their fear, scream and run away



As for ranks, villagers can now have jobs that they are inclined to. There are only 8 of these.

**Ranks**

  * Hunters- fishermen, butcher
  * Foragers- farmers, miners, lumberjacks
  * Medics- doctors, healers,
  * Social- traders, peacemakers, mailman
  * Defense - monster hunters, guards, 
  * Researchers- scientists, reporters,
  * Craftsman- fletchers, weaponsmiths, toolsmiths
  * Caregivers- cooks, hairdressers, teachers



2 genders x 8 ranks x 12 traits= 192 villagers. 

**Disclaimer?**

I got most of my inspirations from Minecraft because i love that game. So i thought it would be great if the game would have multiple minecraft mechanics but also contain the charm of Animal Crossing.

**Day 1**

“I know we’ve been traveling for a while.” says the black cat who drove the wagon we sat in. “But I never truly got your name. My name is Rover.”

“Oh, I’m Shepherd.” I say with a smile.

“Oh, Well it's nice to meet you, Shepherd. Our next stop is coming up soon, Bellstone, heard it used to be a real pretty sight in its prime but as of late…”

“Yeah, I heard there was work that needed to be done, so i came as soon as possible.”

“Well, let’s hope it is worth it.”

“... Yeah.”

In the distance we could see an outline of what looks to be a ruined village, the fencing that closed it off from invaders long ruined and gaping for trespassers. The barely alive grass was almost as tall as I was, leading to a welcome sign now had warning signs and the path was so beaten, it might as well not be there at all.

_ Dear Son,  _

_ By the time you find this letter, I will already be going off to my next project. I leave you in good hands, however, as well as in a large sum of debt. Haha… I’m very sorry. There might not be much when you arrive but the villagers there are great people and their bonds will be worth it should you stay.  _

_ Pops _

You groan. Of course.

“Well… this is your stop.” Rover says, looking at the village. “Looks like you got your work cut out for you.”

“...Yeah.” 

The moment I step out of the wagon, it rushes to disappear, leaving behind a cloud of dust. Outside, a gray Shih Tzu, holding the crossbow with the intention to kill on sight, was pointing his crossbow at what looks like a tanuki/racoon who had two gangly gorilla bodyguards.

“Hey wait!” you hear someone whisper, craning your neck to see that basically holding onto his tail is a blonde Shih Tzu, holding him back from shooting but also hiding behind him, not fully trusting me either.

“What are you doing here?” the gray dog snaps, raising the crossbow higher at the tanuki. “We don’t have any bells if that’s what you're after. We paid you back already.”

“Oh, Digby, won’t you lower your crossbow? You wouldn’t want me getting angry, now would you?” the racoon says in a vaguely threatening way, pushing the crossbow out of his face.

The two gorilla men flex intimidatingly as the tanuki pushes past the two dogs into the rundown village and tutts.“Well, you see, there’s a slight problem. While your previous mayor had skipped out on his debts, multiple villagers moved out, causing multiple mortgages to happen on the property. Property that wasn’t paid for of course.” 

Digby growls but Tom pays him no mind, walking around the village. 

“All the while several villagers remained on this property. And being the kind generous coon that i am, i accepted your payments as rent rather than paying off the mortgages and debt that the property still holds.”

“Yeah, kind. That's the word for it.” Digby spats. “Thanks to you we don’t have a single bell to our name. Not a single bell. No thanks to you. Everything you see here is from us working to the bone.”

Tom seems to nod at this.

“I see. Then perhaps, I can give you a deal, seeing that you are a long time friend. Originally the debt came to a total of 3,559,800 Bells, but for you I will take off a 15 percent discount. A real save if you ask me.”

_ 3,016,830 bells?!? That barely puts a dent in anything. _

“And where exactly do you think we’ll get the bells to pay for that?”

“You’ll find a way.” Tom says, patting Digby condescendingly. The tanuki walks past me, giving me a side-eyed glance before continuing on his way with his posse behind him.“I don’t care what you do with the property, just know that you’ll be visited frequently until the debt is completely paid off. Until then…”

Suddenly, I am met by the end of a crossbow with an arrow locked and loaded. The wielder demands that I put my hands up where he could see them if I valued my life before growling a jagged, “Who are you and what do you want?” 

“Uh… I heard about a job?” I say, reaching into my pocket for the flyer. The blonde looks over the other’s shoulder at it, a light flickering off in her head.

“Oh… I sent these out months ago… i don’t think it would be any good to hire you now though…” she whimpers.

“Yeah, well… i’m miles away from home with only 1000 bells to my name, so…”

“Sounds like a personal problem.” the gray one quips. “Some of us don’t even have that. If i was like that tycoon, Nook, i would strip you down to nothing and rob you blind. Luckily I'm not.”

“So… you’ll lower the crossbow?”

The gray Shih Tzu growls before lowering the crossbow, strapping it to his back, turning to the blonde with a glare. She shrinks down.

“What are we going to do with this guy now? We don’t have the bells to pay him.” he says, pulling her ears, causing her to fuss.

“I didn’t know that he would respond. Those flyers are months old!” she whines. “We need the help Digby, we don’t have a lot of time left.”

“Isabelle, you need to open your eyes. We are bankrupt, Nook has us in his pocket, ready to shut down our village and leave us with nothing. Not even a cardboard box to fend away the horrors that we fight on the daily bases. We have no crops, no allies, no protection. Most of our villagers left us and the ones that didn’t aren’t able to do anything… this village is doomed.”

“Don’t say that. We have a chance to save our village.” Isabelle whines, slapping her brother’s hands off her ears. “We just need an extra hand that’s all.”

Digby collapses once the racoon is out of sight, cursing under his breath. He huffs, pounding his fist into the ground and whimpers. Agnes puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Where are we going to find that kind of money?” Digby growls. “I knew we should’ve-”

“Hey.” Isabelle says, kneeling in front of him. “If you throw in the towel now, all of what we worked for will be for nothing.”

“It’ll be for nothing if we can’t…”

“Shoosh. I already have it covered.” she says, patting Digby’s head reassuringly. 

“When will you wake up? We have done nothing but make everyone’s lives miserable! When will it be enough!”

Isabelle slaps the other dog, tears in her eyes.

“Why do you want to give up so bad? Don’t you think that i’m tired of being miserable? Don’t you think that i know there’s little hope left for us? I know that! But… if i don’t hold onto it… if i don’t have that little bit of hope… i don’t…”

The blonde Shih Tzu turns and runs away, the sounds of her weeping and sniffles not too far behind. The gray Shih Tzu stands before me, shoulders slumped in defeat. It’s clear that he’s tired and on edge.

“You.” he turns to me. He waved his hand over at the village. At the 6 houses that looked like they were on their last leg, at the dried up well, and the structures that nature has been cultivating back into itself. “Look around. Look at this village. Do you see hope for it? Because I don't.”

I stand there looking at him.

“I don’t want to be the bad guy… but there’s no other role to play.” he sighs. “There’s nothing here for you… there’s a village a couple days away from here, they’ll probably have work for you.”

And with that he turns and walks away, leaving me at the gate.

“At it again, I see.” says a voice from one of the houses. An almost entirely black pig with white circles around her eyes, steps out and stretches. Her eyes glance over at me before smiling. “Oh hello, you must be the new guy.”

“Um… yeah, I'm Shepherd.”

“Agnes. Don’t worry about those two, they’ll be back by sundown.”

“Are they always?”

“Only on days that end with y.” she shrugs. “They’ve been running themselves into the ground when it comes to protecting and maintaining this village. Not that anyone else here would help. They are too afraid to leave what is left of their homes.”

_ To be honest, I wouldn't blame them. Especially with all the monsters that spawn at sundown. And even then, you’re not guaranteed safety during the day. _

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You said that others are afraid to go outside. That they won’t help. But what about you?”

“I’m more of the “big sister” of the village. Advice and talks are my specialty.” she says, sitting on the stairs. 

“I see.”

“You pity us.” 

“...”

“It’s okay if you do. One look at this sorry sight and anyone would. Not enough to help though. They tend to turn the other cheek, pretend that they didn’t see. You’re one of those, aren’t you?”

I bite the inside of my cheek, looking around at the sorry village at the brink of non-existence. _ It would be so easy to go but… what about everyone here? I don’t even know them but seeing this… it would be wrong to leave them like this. _

Agnes smirks at my bewildered face.

“If you want to start somewhere, I suggest starting with gathering some wood.” she says, getting up and heading back inside her house. “Just make sure to be back by sundown.”

_ Collecting wood huh? _

Punching trees was nothing new. Came with the territory of starting something new. Punching the first couple trees and collecting the wood to set things into motion. From punching wood to making a wooden axe to make the workload go by faster, gathering a couple stacks of wood before the thing breaks and you call it a day.

When you return, Agnes is sitting with Isabelle, the two looking worried.

“Shepherd!” Agnes calls out. “Have you seen Digby?”

“Who?”

“My brother? The one from earlier?” Isabelle jumps up. “He should be here by now. He knows how dangerous it can be out there.”

I shake my head. “I didn’t see anyone out there.” 

Isabelle deflates.

“I’m sure that he can take care of himself.” Agnes says, petting her shoulder.

“I’ll go look for him.”

“No… she’s right. Digby can look after himself.” Isabelle says with a nod. “Right now, we need to defend the village.”

Agnes sends a worried look in my direction and I nod.

“Okay, tell me what you need me to do.”

When night falls, Isabelle makes sure that all the doors to the houses are closed before setting herself up in the middle of the village near the well. The sound of zombies and skeletons gathers at the gate causes me to draw my newly crafted stone sword.

To be honest, nothing could have prepared me for the sight that I would behold. While I was being overwhelmed by four or five zombie attacks happening at the same time, Isabelle didn’t seem to have the same problem, taking out anything she saw from the corner of her eye with her crossbow.

She must’ve had to learn to fight quickly, I come to realize. She must really care for this village if she's willing to put herself in harm's way to protect it. It’s probably the reason why her brother is so worried about her.

Isabelle didn’t have that many arrows to begin with, using them sparingly, and when she ran out she switched her crossbow out for a vaulting pole, using it as a bo staff to bash and jab at her enemies when she’s not using it to leap into the air.

With nothing but her sheer determination, Isabelle was able to fight the fiends back towards and beyond the gate by sunrise, leaving them to burn and perish at the touch of its rays.

“That was great, Isabelle.” I congratulate her, only for her to shrug it off. Her eyes were blank and you can tell that Digby was still on her mind.

A chest was sat down by her feet, the previous owner grumbling, “I see that you are still fighting for this rundown place.” Isabelle’s ears perk at the voice, her nodding and looking up at her brother with determination. “I am, and I plan to until the very end.”

Her brother sighs.

“Fine, then you’re going to need these.” He motions to the chest. Inside were several stacks of dirt, stone, iron, and coal along with various flowers and mob drops.

“Digby! Where did you…”

“I fell in a hole when i went looking for you.” he says, rubbing the back of his head. “Unable to leave the way I came in, I decided to mine my way out.”

“This is perfect.” Isabelle says, wagging her tail. “First we can build a furnace, smelt some of this cobblestone, lighten up the place, clear out the grass, then rebuild the wall…” Isabelle’s words ran a mile a minute as the gears in her head went off. It’s almost like she didn’t spend all night fighting off monsters.

“Actually, guys, i think it’s time we talk about our ambitions.” Agnes says. “If we restart our village, what village do we want to be exactly? Not only that but what about the other villages around us?”

“...”

“...”

Digby rolls his eyes at his sister’s antics.

“Follow me.” he says, leading me further into the village. Eventually we reach the back of the village, stopping right at the foot of a hill. “We should build the farm here. It’s good for commercializing the village. Lots of potential settlers will see the big bountiful farm overlooking our village.”

“When I first arrived, all I could see was how dead everything looked in the front.” I say, rubbing the back of my neck. “It was kinda harsh on the eyes.”

“Yes, but if we put the farm in the front of the village, we’ll get raided constantly. This way, the farm will be guarded in a way that everyone will be able to see. Isabelle loves to garden… perhaps when we have enough resources to waste, we can let her indulge some.”

“... you know a lot about this kind of stuff, huh?”

“Isabelle and I used to live in a cardboard box when we were pups.” he nods. “Wanting more out of our lives, we got jobs. I worked as a property owner and Isabelle was… a glorified secretary. We were there when everything went to heck and we powered through, running solely on her optimism. I’m a pessimist, so i’m prone to calling it quits whenever reality gives me a hard enough shove.”

I nod in understanding.

“Isabelle is something else, huh?”

“Hey.” Digby says, turning to me. “Don’t go making goo-goo eyes at my sister, you got that?!?”

“What?!? No! I’m just-”

“You’re just what? Don’t get any ideas buddy, i know what you are up to!” he begins to fuss. 

“I’m just admiring Isabelle as a person. She sounds really nice.”

“And what, i don’t?”

“I didn’t say that!”

“Whatever.” he huffs, crossing his arms. He takes a moment to pout before clearing his throat. “Right, for the rest of the day, we’ll begin clearing out the dead grass. As you know, grass often drops seeds that can be planted. Bring any seeds you may find back here by sundown, Isabelle should have sorted the leftover resources by then.”

“... Right.”

The task was a fairly simple one. As I went about I noticed one of the more put together shacks. It looks as if the villager living in this shack has patched it up constantly in the hopes of staying safe from whatever lingers beyond it’s door.

“You there. Who are you and why are so close to my hut?” a voice hisses from the boards that covered the only window. From the cracks of the boards, I can see someone’s beady eyes looking out at me. I step closer only for the voice to object. “Eek, don’t get any closer you weirdo or I’ll scream! I don’t know who you are, you freak, but i’m not taking any chances!”

“Oh, um… I’m Shepherd, I’m the new architect in town…”

“Uh-huh and I’m the fairy godmother here to grant you wish. Listen, I don't care who you are, just stay away from my hut, you can be attacked by a thousand bees for all i care.”

“... wow, Kinda rude, but okay.” 

“Hurry up, Shepherd!” Isabelle calls out when I return, her and her brother already starting construction. “We already got a head start! If you hurry up, we can be done with the house before dusk!”

“Sounds good,” I call out.

“Hey.” Agnes says, walking up, holding out some bread. “Here, eat up. Looks like you got your hands full.”

“Oh… thanks.”

“Joan’s going to flip when she sees this.” she smiles.

“Joan?”

“She’s one of the other villagers. She used to be the town's farmer.”

“Used to? What happened?”

“Tom Nook happened. Sold her house. Sold her farm. Milked every last bell out of her. Offered her a job in the city. Put her in massive debt. Worked to pay it all off. Strong woman but now she’s tired.”

I purse my lips at that statement. This isn’t the first time I’m hearing of this Nook character. He sounds awful.

“Don’t feel too bad for her. She’s fine now.” Agnes waves off. “Watching over a kid.”

“We have a kid here?”

“Yep. One of the reasons you don’t see them outside much.” Agnes says. “Once we get them moved into the farmhouse and replace the fence, perhaps you’ll see them around more. Precautions.”

“Precautions.” I nod.

“There you are,” Isabelle smiles, waving me over as I walk up to the site. I see that Digby is calculating everything while Isabelle simply fills up the spaces. “Digby says that if we terraform correctly we can have up to several different crops growing.”

“Sounds like he’s good at this kind of thing.”

“Oh hardly. He had to learn from the best.” Isabelle giggles.

“Oh?”

“Technically she was his assistant, but it was obvious she was the better half. She modeled the houses and he’d sell them. The perfect duo.”

I nod.

“I assumed something happened to her?”

“Both her and her uncle left after everything started falling apart. She asked Digby to come with her… but…”

“Oh… Do you think he regrets it?”

“Immensely. Sometimes, he writes letters to her but never sends them.”

Digby’s ears twitch, him turning to us with a scowl.

“Well, we’re not going to get this project done if you two just stand there.”

Suddenly, there is a crash inside the village, the door to one of the run down houses bursting open as a loud maniacal laugh booms “Hahahah! Science!”. A blue squirrel and a purple lizard emerges from the smoking house, causing Digby to groan.

“Uh…”

“Oh there’s nothing like an experiment to boost morale in dreary times.” the squirrel says, moving his white hair out of his face. He smiles.

“That was magnificent, Professor!” the lizard smiles. 

“What was that?” Agnes calls out, before noticing the pair. She sighs.

“Oh, hello, Agnes! We have made quite the delightful breakthrough.” the squirrel says.

“Oh, I’m sure.” she rolls her eyes.

“Um… who are they?”

“Oh, this is Professor Merlin and his assistant, Petra.” Digby says, rubbing his forehead. “This is a (sigh) common occurrence for them… for some reason. Where do they keep getting the crap for this stuff anyway?”

“Oh, Digby, my boy. Come hither.” the professor says, waving to him. “I’m sure that you and the lady Joan would love this!”

“What is it, Professor?”

“Science, my boy.” the professor says with a pose. “Usually, bone meal is used to make plants grow faster. But then I wondered, could it help them evolve and change? With research and experimentation, I was able to bend and enhance such abilities.”

He holds our two powders.

“This first experiment is called Floral fertilizer. Miss Isabelle would love this one.” he says, tossing it on the ground, flowers bursting from the ground upon contact. He laughs with delight.

“Oh wow.” Agnes says, looking at all the different flowers. 

“Most of these flowers that you see before you struggle to prosper anywhere else and yet they sit here before you, alive and well.”

“And what of the other one?” i ask, impressed.

“I’m glad you asked, my boy.” he says. “This beauty allows any botany under its influence to blossom into a more unique form! I call it Mutandis!”

He throws it upon the flowers, some bursting into trees and bushes, others turning to fruits and vegetables or other flowers.

“Oh wow.”

“Wow indeed. With this breakthrough, we could flourish the land to our hearts content!”

“Oh, professor.” Petra swoons, pulling her clipboard closer to her chest.

“Hahahahaha! Science!”

“This is wonderful. How much of the stuff did you make?” Digby asks.

“I just used the rest of it.” the professor announces. Everyone except Petra stares at him with disbelief.  _ He must be the stupidest… _

“Oh come off it, I'm not that dull. This was just a test sample, if you would like for me to create more all I ask of you is the bones of the skeletons that terrorize us, ash of wood, and green dye from time to time.”

We all sigh in relief.

“Now if you excuse me, we have more research to do. Come my dear.” he announces before returning to his rundown shack, Petra following close behind.

“I’ll never understand those two.” Digby sighs, turning to the abnormal plants that have appeared before us. “It would be best to get rid of these for now and work on what we can manage right now.”

“Right.”

“Sometimes Merlin can be a handful but he used to be one of the brightest minds in one of the lands.” Isabelle says, kneeling down to sniff the flowers. “However, he was heard and tried as unethical, the school abandoning him. He found Petra not too soon after that and landed here.”

“I see.” 

Once the project was nearly complete, Isabelle couldn’t wait to show her friend the new farm, racing over to find her opening. Isabelle knocks on a shack door with an eager wagging tail, her voice shaking with anticipation as she asks “Joan, it’s Isabelle, can i come in?” 

Isabelle (barely) stands patiently at the door. Not a moment later, the door opens revealing a small orange boar. She blinks a couple times before opening the door even more.

“Isabelle!” she coos, hugging the Shi Tzu.

“Oh, hello.” says an older brown boar, approaching the door. “For what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Actually, we have a present for you.” Digby says, rubbing the back of his neck. “If you would follow us for a moment.”

Joan looks around.

“Oh… i don’t know. It’s about to be dark soon.”

“It’ll only take a moment.” Isabelle reassures, taking the boar’s hand. Joan nods with a “Oh, alright.” before allowing us to lead her to the farmhouse. Upon beholding it, her eyes begin to tear up. Confused, the small boar hugs her.

“We thought that you’d appreciate this over a dinky little shack.” I say. Digby elbows me in the rib, causing me to hiss.

“We do appreciate the gesture.” Joan says, rubbing her eyes. Her voice sounded a little unsure. “I’m not as young as I used to be… and it’s been a while since i have enjoyed gardening…”

“We can have wheat! And sugar! And carrots! And potatoes! And rice! And…” the younger boar jumps and down cheering.

“After we redo the wall we were also planning on making a garden in the middle of the village and the outside of the wall.” Digby reports. “We were hoping to get back into the swing of things.”

Joan nods.

“It’s been a while since we had hope.”

“Well, it’s best that you get some sleep. We want to wake up bright and early tomorrow if we want to build the farm and get crops planted by sundown.”

“Oh yeah. Good night then.”

“Yep. Goodnight.”

We all turned in early with the agreed prospect that tomorrow we were going to work on the wall and the gate. Exhausted, I go to sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

**Day 5**

_ Dear Son, _

_ By the time you read this letter, you will already be fully aware as to why i sent you to Bellstone and will be making great progress. I can assure you that while the village may be in bad shape those who remained there have hearts made out of gold.  _

_ To celebrate your arrival and decision to stay, I give you this apple sapling. Allow it to grow along with your village and flourish like the relationships within it. Inside this chest are also some blueprints that may help you as you expand. _

_ I also suggest creating friends outside your village, when you get the chance. _

_ Pops _

I look down at the chest left at the gates, skeptical of how it had gotten here so early in the morning without anyone else being around to deliver it.

“Oh, good morning Shepherd!” Isabelle greets, dragging her groggy brother by his hand. 

“Good morning, you two. So what is planned for the day?”

“I’m glad you asked. Using what materials we have left, we had decided that the best course of action is for us to reconstruct the wall.”

“Sounds good.”

“Good morning, Mister Shepherd.” Daisy Mae sing-songs. She twirls around showing me the basket on her head.

“Oh wow, you're looking festive!”

“We grew a lot of crops today, so we made breakfast for everyone out of the crops we grew! Granny Joan said that maybe we can make jellies and jams later!”

“Sounds like fun.” I smile, looking more into the breakfast basket. It looks like Joan has made fruit salad and fairy bread for everyone. Daisy Mae sways on her hooves, waiting for me to pluck something out of the basket before running off.

_ It’s nice that Daisy Mae is willing to help her Granny maintain the farm. _

Working with Digby and Isabelle was fairly amusing, Isabelle hiding flower boxes in the wall for aesthetic purposes as well as adding lanterns to light it up and Digby trying to accommodate his sister’s additions while still trying to make the wall practical for defense.

With the three of us, we were able to fix up the fence by sundown, adding in our last compromises. Like Digby had promised, he told Isabelle that not that the fence was repaired, she could go on and grow flowers around the outside and inside perimeter until it hits the main road. Isabelle was so overjoyed that she basically tackled him with a hug. 

“Look here, Shepherd,” Digby calls out. He motions to a barrel and a chest that he placed at the front of the gate. “The chest here will act as our mailbox, should you ever want to send out a letter or something. The barrel will be for trade, so when you want to trade items to other cities or towns, place the items here.”

I nod at his instructions before rubbing the back of my head with a “Now all we have to do is test it.” The two Shi Tzus agree, them both nodding their heads with a “Right.” 

“Not bad, not bad at all.” Agnes whistles at the sight of the wall. “Almost makes us look like an official village.”

Digby’s “I wouldn’t go that far.” overlaps with Isabelle’s “You think so?” , causing Agnes and I to chuckle.

That night, we tested the gates by standing within them and watching the monsters attack the walls, watching idly by, causing everyone to be tense.

“Um… Agnes, I have a question?”

“Hm? What is it, Shepherd?”

“Well…” I look over towards the middle of town where a well sits. The well seemed closed off for some reason however. The whole time that i have been here, never once has anyone gone near the well at all. “I wanted to know what was going on with the well over there.”

“Oh…! It dried up and zombies began to spawn there. Apparently, we are placed right above an abandoned mineshaft.” she says. “Since Isabelle and Digby are the only capable fighters, we have yet to explore it.”

_ They’re what?!? How did I not notice until now? _

“Isn’t that extremely dangerous?”

“Not really, it’s really deep down there.” she says. “Digby went down there when it first went dry to dig up all the bells at the bottom of it to pay up Nook one time. When he came back up, he was so spooked, he was white for the rest of the day. Made sure that nothing down there could try coming up here.”

I sigh in relief.

“Actually now that i think about it. Perhaps now would be a good time to go down there and explore.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah, I mean, the three of you were planning on going resource gathering anyway. Why not? I can watch over the village while you are gone.”

“...I guess.”

“It’s only a suggestion.” she says, stretching with a snort.

“The wall is holding up really well.” Digby says to his sister. “We probably don’t want the mobs to pound at it too often but it seems to be in great shape.”

“We can build lookout towers and fund for some hunters when we have the time and resources for it. Until then, it’s just us and Shepherd that can take care of them.”

“Now that the wall is built, I don't see a reason why we can’t inforce everyone to help out. We’ve proven that it’s safe within the gates.”

“Yeah, but unlike Merlin, Petra, and Joan, the others don’t have a set profession.”

“It’s not a valid excuse though. Suzette and Agnes could do something.” 

“It’s time for you to go to bed.” Joan says, dragging a half-asleep daisy Mae who whines with a “But i don’t wanna!” but doesn't struggle or fuss.

“Um… so what do you want to work on next?” I ask, looking around.

“Well, we can’t move in anymore villagers until we are able to build some more houses.” Digby says. “However, i don’t think it would be fair to everyone here if we began building new houses without fixing up the old ones first.”

“I think we should work on some resource building first. Like a toolshed and a blacksmith and a tavern. Once we get some jobs moving, it’ll be easier for us to jumpstart the village. Maybe even make some of the resource buildings into temporary homes.”

“Agnes suggested trying out the well, if you two are interested… we can start resource gathering there and perhaps we can plan out our next projects.”

“That sounds like a plan.” Digby nods. “I think we should take this day to rest, however. It looks like the wall keeps all the monsters out well enough.”

After dispersing to our respective areas. I began to think. I thought about how everyone in this village seemed to be going through something, how they all had some sort of baggage that needed serious unpacking. To be honest, I’m not sure that i am qualified to help anyone with that kind of stuff.

I try to think about everything I have learned in the last couple of days.

Isabelle- Familial - Defense - is often optimistic but may have a dark side, really good fighter, likes to garden

Digby- Smug - Defense - is pessimistic, low self esteem, left his girlfriend and regrets it, overworks himself

Joan- Normal - Forager - hard worker, loves to garden, was screwed over by Nook

Daisy Mae- Preppy - Forager - sweet, young, a helpful hand

Merlin- Crazy - Researcher - really smart, love science, prone to strange habits, causes explosions

Petra- Humble - Medic - assistant to Merlin

Suzette- Timid - ??? - snaps when she’s scared, might have a traumatizing experience

Agnes- Familial - Social - Big Sister figure, gives sound advice, nonchalant behavior

_ To be honest… I don't know much about any of the villagers. Maybe i should spend my day getting to know everyone a little better. _

**Day 6**

“Hey, good morning, Sleepy head.” Daisy Mae says, shaking me. “You’re going to sleep the whole day away!”

“Hm?” I turn over and yawn, “Oh… is it that late already?”

“Uh-huh.” she nods. She reaches over at the basket that would normally be on her head, sitting next to her. “You missed breakfast but don’t worry, i saved you something.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” she says, handing me a couple riceballs. I smile at her.

“Um… is it alright if i ask you a couple questions?”

“Sure? What do you want to ask me?”

“Well… why do you live with your Granny Joan… don’t you have parents?”

Daisy Mae seems to ponder at the question before shaking her head with a “I’m not sure. I’ve always lived with Granny Joan, never asked why.”

I nod.

“Do you have parents, Mister Shepherd?”

I wince.

“Yeah, my Pops used to be a builder. The best in the business, he’d brag. However, after the incident, work has been more and more and pay has been less and less. So when he heard there was work to be done, he went out to do what he does best. Mom stayed and took care of me and my siblings until we were old enough to find what we wanted to do.”

“Is that the reason why you are here?”

“Well, i was thinking about being a hunter, but Pops sent me a note saying that he found me a job along with the flyers Isabelle sent out.”

Daisy Mae’s eyes soften.

“You’ll stay though… won't cha?”

“... of course, where else could i meet a sweetheart like you?”

Daisy Mae chuckles.

“That’s good to hear. Everyone would be really sad if you left.”

Once I exited my tent, I realized that Daisy Mae hadn’t been overreacting. I might as well have been sleeping half the day away by this point.

“Well, well, well. Look who decided to peek his head out today.” Agnes smiles. Next to her was another villager, a purple alpaca. The purple alpaca smiles at you.

“Hello, my name is Kelsy.” she says, holding out her hoof. “I’m a wandering trader from the shop, Re-Tail.”

“Oh, hello. My name is Shepherd.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” she says with a smile. “I’m from the traders guild… i was actually supposed to be going to Ringsten, but ended up here instead.” she rubs the back of her neck. “But since i’m here, perhaps I can interest you in some trades?”

“I would love to but-”

“If it’s bells that you are worried about then say no more.” she says. “I would happily trade some stuff for crops but it’ll be pricey. The last town that i went to was really hurting on crops, so i think it would be a worthy investment.”

“Oh…” I say with relief. “Then let me see what you got.”

“Of course.” Kelsy smiles. She opens the backpack she has on her and shows me what she has. Apparently, she was carrying a lot of outdoor appeal, such as fairy lights, flower pots, and lanterns.

“Oh wow, Isabelle would love this.” I smile. “How much for a dozen of each item?”

“Hm… how about a stack of potatoes, carrots, and wheat? I know that sounds like a lot but in exchange for bells…”

“No, I get it. I’ll ask Joan if we have that to spare.”

“Of course we do!” Daisy Mae says. “But….” she says, stretching out the vowel as if she was trying to draw attention. “What if we give you rice instead? Or strawberries? Or seeds? Or…”

“Oh… are you willing to trade me these items?”

“For a price.” Daisy Mae says, placing her hands on her hips as if to say. “I ain’t no fool.”

“Of course. That would be marvelous!” Kelsy smiles. 

“Hey!” a voice calls out. A rhino stood by the gate, his appearance looked like he’d be the kind of person who would fight zombies with their bare hands… uh, hooves. “Don’t go selling all our stock. We still have to go to the actual town we were supposed to.”

“I know. I know.” Kelsy waves him off. 

“A friend of yours?” I ask.

“Oh that’s just Spike, my bodyguard. My dad’s paranoid when it comes to me walking around on my own. Don’t mind him, he’s actually a sweetheart.”

I look over at Spike again, only for him to give me the death glare.

“Right… I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Hey, I got everything settled over here if you’re busy.” Agnes says.

“Hm? No, i’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Agnes says, as if she wanted me to take the hint that she was ushering me away. I sigh “alright” in defeat before heading off to do… whatever.

“Oh, hello, Fellow Shepherd.” Petra greets.

“Hello… where’s your other half?” I joke. 

“Oh, he’s all scienced out.” she says without missing a beat. “I promised that he could “experiment” all he wants tomorrow.”

I blush, not really knowing what to say about that.

“I heard that Merlin used to be a well known scientist.”

“Hm… yes, but i don’t know much about that.” Petra says. “Sometimes, he talks about accomplishments he had done in the past or brings up an old colleague but he doesn’t talk much else about his past.”

“And what about you? How was your life before meeting Merlin?”

“I’m not really sure what to say really. I didn’t even know how to properly dress a wound before I met Merlin.”

“I see… what is it like… working with Merlin? He’s a bit… eccentric for my tastes.”

“Oh, he’s a marvelous nutcase. He’s passionate from his head to the very tip of his tail. You should see him work sometimes. He can be a bit much sometimes but honestly, being with him is a huge honor.”

“Oh… I see. I bet he feels the same way about you.”

“I hope so.” Petra says with a smile. “If you are taking requests right now, when you have the chance, could you gather some sand for us? We would like to make some more vials and test tubes to begin some more experiments. Oh and if you find any interesting minerals, you can always drop them off and we can see what we could find out about them.”

“Alright, i’ll keep that in mind.”

Petra retreats back into the shack, waving at me before closing the door. As I turn, I find Isabelle humming as she walks past, holding what looks like a rusted watering can.

“Enjoying your day off?” I ask, following her.

“Oh Shepherd, even on my days off, I’m still working.” she says. “I would love to let my hair down and relax, but there is so much that still has to be done.”

“But i thought we agreed on resting today?”

“We did. I’m not doing anything strenuous. Just some gardening to make the village look nice.” she says, using the watering can on some flowers. “Thanks to our hard work, we had plenty of bonemeal to spare on some of these bushes and flower beds amongst the walls and pathways for an extra splash of color and life.”

“Digby had mentioned that you like gardening.”

“Oh yes. It’s a pastime of mine. Gardening, bug collecting, monster hunting, and walks.”

“Monster hunting?”

“Hm?” she says, looking up at me.

“You said monster hunting.”

“Oh no, you must’ve heard wrong. I said Treasure Hunting.”

“... no you didn’t.”

“Right…” she says, turning away and dropping the subject. “I’m just going to be doing this for the day, if you don’t mind.”

“Uh… sure. Happy gardening.” I say, walking away.  _ If Isabelle is still working even on her day off, I wonder what Digby is doing? _

And sure enough, it looks like Digby also decided to forgo actually taking time off. I watch him terraform a bit by the foot of the farm, counting out the spaces for a new building.

“I thought we agreed to take a day off.”

“We did… but I couldn't. My mind kept racing on new ideas and tasks we should tend to next. Isabelle had mentioned a tavern and it got my mind racing. We could add a tavern with two extra rooms, just in case we get visitors. It’ll take a bit of resources but it’ll be worth it. We can put it right next to this farm so produce will always be fresh.”

“And who do you expect to run the tavern exactly.”

“With hope, perhaps we can finally get Suzette out of her shack.” Digby says. “You wouldn’t believe it but Suzette is actually an amazing baker. She just… has some issues.”

“Oh? I thought she was just shy?”

“Well, that’s part of it. She’s a grand person when she opens up. Her story isn’t mine to tell but just know that she hermits herself for a reason.”

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I suggest you take the rest of the day to relax. If we’re heading down the well tomorrow, you’ll have to bring your A game. Isabelle might be a good fighter, but you never know what’s in store down there.”

“You’re a pretty good fighter too, Digby.”

“I guess.” he shrugs. 

Seeing Isabelle and Digby unable to take some time off for themselves was just as disheartening as it was comforting.  _ They really care for this village and want it to strive. To make everyone here feel included and safe. _

I return to my tent and recall the blueprints that Pops had given me, each one having their own note inscribed on them.

  * A bathouse, some villagers like a bath at the end of the day to rinse of the dirt and the grime of the day
  * A library, knowledge is power some says, also a nice quiet sanctuary for loners and shy villagers
  * Town Square, a place to get together and celebrate when morale is high
  * Market Stalls, a place to set up shop is always welcome



Something tells me that I shouldn't be surprised that he gave me things that would be aesthetically pleasing and raise morale rather than something efficient. While high morale is a good thing, proficiency and practicality has to be priority right now.

I sniff myself, the closest thing I've had to a bath these past couple days being a wash up with a rag and bucket.

_ A bath house wouldn’t hurt. _

“Alright, Mister Shepherd.” Kelsy says, fixing up her bag. “After some negotiations, we have come to an agreement. I have set aside the items that you have requested into the crate that you have near the gate, as well as some excess bells.”

“Thank you for the business, Kelsy.”

“Oh no, we should be thanking you.” she waves.

“Hey!” Spike growls. “We need to get a move on.”

“Okay! One moment.” Kelsy sighs. “Oh, after we hit Ringsten, we’ll be going back to Traderun. I could put a word out for you to the other merchants?”

“If you could, i would be completely grateful.”

“Okay, I’ll see what i can do. They might be more inclined to show you their goods if you had a place for them to set up.”

_ The marketplace... _

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Okay, well, i have to go. It was nice meeting you.”

“Likewise.”

**Day 7**

“Are we ready to go?” I ask, emerging from my tent, Isabelle and Digby standing nearby.

“I have made two swords and 3 pickaxes out of the remaining iron.” Digby informs me. “I also crafted dozens of torches for this, but once we are out of them, I suggest heading back.”

“I have plenty of arrows.” Isabelle nods, sliding on her quiver. She brushes the hair out of her face before stretching with a “Let’s give it our all!”

Agnes stood at the foot of the well, seemingly worried as she paced back and forth. She smiles upon seeing us, however.

“Alright. I set up the ladder like you asked… i’ll ring the bell if you’re not back by sundown.” she says. She watched as we lowered ourselves downwards, calling out a “Don’t worry about anything here, I got it taken care of.” after us.

The mineshaft was dark and musky, sounds of mobs could be faintly heard in an earshot, bats fluttering about and rats squeaking, and the sound of trickling water bounced off the walls ominous.

Isabelle puts down the first torch, lighting our way forwards. The cave was plentiful of iron and coal, we would come to find. Following the railways, we would come to find gold and redstone in the walls, chests with loot lingering about, and plenty of mobs to slay.

“Ooh, diamonds!” Isabelle gasps, looking over my shoulder as I open up a chest. “We could sell them for bells. Or craft something. Or maybe…”

“Focus Isabelle.” Digby says, mining some nearby gold. “We can think about that later. Don’t let yourself get caught off guard.”

“Hahaha.” she rubs the back of her neck. “Right.”

“I think we were pretty successful when it comes to collecting resources. We should have enough for several projects and can always come down for more should we need more.” I say, sitting up and stretching.

“I agree.”

“Fine.” Digby sighs, brushing himself off. “I was getting a little fatigued anyways. Let’s- wait do you hear that?”

“I don’t hear anything.”

Both his and his sister’s ears perk, Isabelle’s more out of curiosity, trying to pick up on the sound Digby seemed to have picked up on.

“It sounds like humming. Like from a furnace.”

“Oh…” Isabelle listens a bit harder. “Yeah, now I do.”

“Um… guys.” i say, awkwardly. “I’m not an animal.”

Both Isabelle and Digby looked at me and my choice of wording, which once i caught it, apologized profusely and explained to them that normal instincts for them aren’t normal for me and that i meant no harm in what i said. I then correct the comment with a “I don’t have super hearing like most animals do.”

“It sounds like it’s coming from deeper in the mineshaft.” Digby assess. “It seemed to notice that someone is down here with it but has yet to wander close enough to know where we are.”

“Then let’s hurry back to the well and leave it to wander.” Isabelle says, turning away. “If it’s looking for us, it might not be the best idea to stay here.”

“Agreed.”

As we hurried to the ladder, I began to hear it. A humming sound.

Heavy whirring sounds and footsteps began to echo throughout the caves, the being getting closer and closer. There was a moment of silence before the wall behind us erupts, revealing a Redstone Golem, a once friendly golem that assists with mining and smelting ores turned corrupt. Redstone ran throughout its body, a block attached to its back and two inside both its upper arms, with redstone dust wiring it.

Its two slime-like eyes lock onto us before whirring and getting ready to attack.

The Redstone Golem smashes into the ground with both arms, causing the mine floor to shake underneath it, breaking a radius of blocks. Isabelle stumbles, almost falling into the caving floor.

“Should we keep going?” I ask, turning to Digby.

“No… it’s too dangerous to let it roam around down here.” Digby shakes his head. “Who knows what would react to it if it gets too close.”

“Then we’ll have to fight it.”

“Seems so.”

“Alright.”

“So what’s the plan?”

“It should be no different then fighting an iron golem.” 

“Right.”

Digby attacks the golem with a barrage of arrows as it tries to recover, turning its sights on him. Both Isabelle and I rush forward, Isabelle using her pickaxe to disturb the redstone flow in its shoulders and back while I try to keep it from attacking her.

It’s hits packed a punch, knocking me back quite a bit when it landed one, causing me to hiss in pain. Digby would quickly take my place as I recovered, Isabelle maneuvering around the colossal beast as if it was nothing. 

The beast begins to crack under the force of our attacks, the redstone flaring up through it and causing it to deteriorate faster. It whirs and buzzes as it pushes itself to continue as it begins to crumble and collapse into itself.

It drops iron and redstone to no one's surprise, however, it also drops an extra item. A stack of firework arrows.

“Dibs!” Isabelle says, holding onto them. Digby rolls his eyes but allows his sister to keep them.

Above us, the bell began to ring, alerting us that it was sundown.

Later that night...

“Hey.” calls a voice, shaking me. “Hey!”

“Hm?” I groaned, turning over to see who it could be. I see an all too familiar figure towering over me. “Isabelle?”

There was a subtle grow before I was hit on the head hard, jolting me awake as I sat up in pain.

“Ow. What the heck was that for?” i hiss before a paw covers my mouth.

“Hush or you’ll wake everyone up.” Digby whispers. “Does my sister frequent your tent so often that you automatically assume it's her?”

“What? No!” I smack his hand away with a blush.

“I would hope not.”

“What are you doing up so late? Aren’t you tired from earlier?”

“...” Digby mumbles something indecipherable under his breath.

“What?”

“I had a nightmare.” he says, frustrated. “I’ve tried to go back asleep but i couldn’t… so i went out on a walk… i wanted to talk to someone… but Isabelle sleeps like a rock. So…”

I study Digby’s face and actions.  _ He wants to talk to me… _

“Oh… yeah. Okay…”

“Listen, if you're that kind of guy, i can just…”

“No… it's just that we don’t know each other all that well.”

“... Remember the night that we first met? How crushed i had been and how quick i was to reject anything remotely close to optimism.”

“I remember… we’ve come a long way, huh?”

“... We have.” Digby says, rubbing his shoulder. “It’s just… the world isn’t like when we were pups. We can’t just live in a box and hope for the best like we used to. Isabelle always knew how to make the most of a situation and is willing to trust someone, even if they had hurt her in the past. I’m nothing like that… I've pushed so many people away because i was afraid of being hurt.”

“... Is that what you dreamed about. Being all alone?”

“I’m so selfish. Not wanting to hurt but willing to hurt others.”

“... Isabelle told me that you used to have a lover. One that you left to stay by your sister’s side.”

“I did. Both her and my sister were inseparable, basically plotting against me in hopes of ending up being sisters in the end it feels like. They were really good friends.” he smirks for a moment. ““If there was anyone who could make it through this pandemic, it would be us…” that’s what i thought. But I was wrong.”

“...”

“Lottie wanted to run off to Mythport with her… but I couldn't leave Isabelle. She’s the only family I have. I don’t know what i would do if she was to get hurt.”

_ He must be shaken up by what happened in the mines. One wrong move and Isabelle could’ve been seriously hurt. Any of us could’ve, really. _

“Isabelle is more than capable of taking care of herself.”

“I know that… it doesn't make me worry any less.”

“Then… worry productively.” I say, reassuringly. “Isabelle is more than sure that we can restore the village from the ground up. She wants to rebuild a home where everyone she cares for can feel safe. If you really want her safe, you'd help her do that.”

“... i can do that much.” Digby nods, saying it aloud as if he was trying to convince both me and himself. “Thank you, Shepherd. Sorry to inconvenience you.”

“Not at all. You can emote to me whenever you need someone to talk to.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Digby says, crawling out of my tent. “You should rest. Tomorrow, we are stepping outside the gates to collect wood.”

**Day 8**

_ She says she's afraid but she’s a liar, and left a piece of herself in the fire. Puffy cheeks and devoid of life, she is far too close to getting the knife.  _ A rhyme sets off in my head, a character clocked in black appears. A blue crystal ball glows illuminating the seers face.  _ You have been warned. _

I wake up in a cold sweat.

“We’re not leaving you alone in the gates, Suzette. You haven’t washed up in weeks, I’m not surprised if it smells like you died in there.” Agnes argues with a closed door. “We’re all going to be there, while it's morning, so the chances of you getting attacked are super slim.”

“Meaning that there is still a chance? No thank you.”

Agnes groans.

“Alright. I didn’t want to do this.” Agnes says, taking a step back before breaking down the door. She reaches in, dragging out a hamster with tan and white fur and brown hair. She looked absolutely disheveled and tired as if she would stay up and flinch at every bump in the night. She didn't even put up too much of a fight while being dragged, simply too tired to really be alive.“You are coming with us, whether you like it or not.”

_ she is far too close to getting the knife _

I shiver remembering the warning.

Several days of having a frowny face can result in a villager stopping all primary functions. If certain needs aren’t met, they could stop living all together.

_ Suzette locks herself in her house because she doesn’t feel safe. And because of that she is dying. _

“Agnes… it’s okay. We can bring back a bucket of water.”

“No, Shepherd. She needs this.” Agnes says. “Being cooped up in her hut all the time isn’t doing her any favors.”

And that was that.

Everyone seemed ready to head out to the river for a quick bath, Daisy Mae’s hat having assorted soap and bath toys in it while Joan carried a kettle and some towels. Digby and Isabelle, however, had everything ready to harvest some trees while we were out, along with some equipment just in case of an ambush or sudden raid. Even Petra and Merlin looked ready with a picnic basket at hand.

The river wasn’t a long walk from here, I remember crossing the bridge over it with Rover during my trip here. Within the hour, everyone was able to settle in and begin today’s activities.

“Aw! You’re not taking a bath?” Daisy Mae wines, puffing out her cheeks.

“No. Not right now.” I say, ruffling up her hair. “But maybe in a bit. After I work up a good sweat.”

“Hm… fine.” she groans.

_ Speaking of… _

I’m just now realizing how strong Isabelle is as I watched her chop down trees like it’s nothing, showing off the hidden muscles that you wouldn’t even guess was there. It reminded me of how dangerous she really was, especially during combat.

Suddenly a cold sensation envelops me, a bucket of fresh river water being poured over my head, causing me to call out with a “Hey!”

“Saving graces, young Shepherd.” the culprit, Merlin, says. “You were emitting pheromones of arousal will ogling the fair Isabelle while her kin is not too far disjointed from either of you.”

The alchemist motions towards Digby, who hadn’t seemed to notice that you were staring at Isabelle, busy with the task at hand.

_ Saving graces was right, if Digby would have caught me, he would’ve kicked me into next Tuesday and buried me alive for sure. _

“Aren’t you going to wash up?” I sigh, turning to him.

“Oh no, of course not!” he says, as if it was an obvious thing. “My fur is far too dense for that. I actually go through a dusting process that not only cleans my coat but it protects it by eliminating extra oils and moisture.”

“Oh…”  _ i thought that Merlin was a squirrel… apparently not. _ “That’s fascinating.”

“Indeed.”

“And what of Petra.”

“Oh, my lovely assistant?” he says, motioning towards Petra who had decided to use this day to go fishing… without a fishing rod. She emerges from the river with a fish in her mouth, shaking the water off of her in a slow motion cinematic style. “She is truly something else, isn’t she?”

To be honest, you have so many questions about their relationship but you're not sure if you want to open that can of worms just yet.

“See? Was it worth all the fuss?” Agnes says, rinsing Suzette down as the hamster sits limply and idly. The hamster looked so frightened that it was painful to the eyes.

Watching everyone made you think back to the blueprints for the bathhouse that you were holding onto.  _ You wouldn't have to wait or go outside of the fence if you built it. _

“Um… hey.” i say, approaching the two. Agnes quirks an eyebrow before nudging Suzette into responding with a “Hi.”

“My name is Shepherd. I’m the one rebuilding the village to make it safer.”

“I’m Suzette.” she greets, refusing to make eye contact with me. 

“Do… do you feel… Do you feel safe in Bellstone?”

“... i noticed that zombies aren’t scratching at my windows anymore.”

_ Not a direct answer but a sign of progress. _

“Yeah… Isabelle, Digby, and I fixed the gates… and built a farm… and we’re working out some plans for a tavern, some new huts, and maybe a bathhouse, if we’re lucky.”

“...!” This seemed to get everyone's attention.

“Wait… really?” Agnes asks. 

“Well, yeah… I don't see why not.”

“Don’t you think the materials could be used elsewhere?” Joan asks. “We really don’t mind coming to the river every now and again.”

“Of course, our health and mindset is the most important thing right now. So it’s not a waste of resources or anything.” I say, rub the back of my neck. “Not to mention that we are fortunate enough to be surrounded by resources, should we ever need to get more.”

“As nice as that sounds… perhaps we can discuss this later. We can speak of the multiple projects that need to transpire…” Digby says, grabbing my ear. “We shouldn’t go around making promises we can’t keep.”

“Yeah… i guess you’re right.”

“Thank you…” Suzette speaks up. “I’ve heard about how you've been working hard for the village’s sake.”

“And I will continue to.”

“Then if you don’t mind. Could you do me one favor?”

“Anything.”

“The noises. At night, the noises… they make me so petrified that I can't sleep…”

I nod my head in understanding.

“Done.”

Digby later sent me off to gather clay and sand from further down the river while him and Isabelle washed up, apparently very aware of my earlier gawking at her. He didn’t seem to appreciate it, threatening to gouge my eyes out if he catches me.

As we walked back, I noticed a sense of content throughout everyone. Tails wagging and ears perked, a general happy crowd. Daisy Mae skipped around everyone, asking what was going to be for dinner while Merlin discussed experiments with Joan and Petra.

“So... did you mean what you said back there?” Digby asks.

“Of course. I think we should start with the tavern first, like you had planned. Then maybe a local blacksmith for tools and smelting. Then, we can start with the houses while the bathhouse can be an ongoing effort along with some other side projects that i have been thinking about doing in the meantime.”

“That sounds great.” Isabelle beams. “I can’t wait to get started. Everyone seemed excited when you brought it up, so I’m sure that everyone is on board.”

“Speaking of which, earlier you told Suzette that you would do something about the noises at night… what exactly did you have planned?”

“Oh, i have an old jukebox that she can have." I say. “Though i don’t have a record disk…”

“Oh, that’s fine. Digby has a couple.”

“You like listening to music?” I ask, looking over at Digby.

“From time to time. As well as tea and a good book.” Digby says, a pink hue dotting his cheeks.

“...I’ll have to remember that.”

**Day 12**

The last couple of days had gone swimmingly, each one of us making more and more progress on our projects. The tavern was basically complete, Digby making the last couple interior decorating decisions while Isabelle worked diligently on the blacksmith, reconstructing it with the old hut that Joan and Daisy Mae once lived in. I stood at a crafting bench near the well, crafting the miscellaneous blocks that would be needed in the next set of projects.

And as luck and fate would have it, once a new residential place opened up, a new villager had arrived to fill it’s walls.

“Digby!!!” A pink otter tackles the gray Shi Tzu to the ground, smothering him with kisses as he struggles to breath. 

“Wha!?! Lottie!?!” Digby scrambles to compose himself. 

“Did you miss me? Cause I missed you! You didn’t even write! Do you know how many lonely nights I thought about you? I bet you didn’t… which makes me so sad.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Oh, well…” she says, curling her brown hair around her finger. “i heard that you were in a financial pickle so i basically begged Uncle Lyle to let me come see what i could do for you. Are you not happy to see me?”

“What?!? No… who said that?!?”

“Aw…. you do care!” she says, snuggling into him and giving him eskimo kisses.

“Is that the sound of merrymaking, i hear?” Merlin chuckles, walking towards the couple, Petra by his side. Digby’s face turns bright red.

“Was that Lottie that i just heard?” Isabelle asks, jogging up to the couple.

“Oh hi, Isabelle. I didn’t see you. I was a little excited to see Digby.”

“I can see.” Isabelle says with a wink. The two giggle at Digby’s expense. Digby whimpers, his face simmering with embarrassment. “Lottie… please get off.”

“No way. It’s been forever since i got to hold you like this.” she nuzzles him affectionately. Digby officially gives up, covering his face with his paws.

“I’m aware but I am in the middle of an important project… and we’re in public. Perhaps we can continue this later… in privacy?” he says, trying to maintain his composer.

“Speaking of which…” Lottie says with a mischievous smirk. “Until i have an official place to stay, can i stay in your hut?”

“It’s alright, Digby. Shepherd and I can take over here.” Isabelle says, ushering the couple away, much to her little brother’s dismay.

“So… that happened.”

“Yep. Isn’t love beautiful?” Isabelle sighs. I blush.

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been in it before… have you?”

“Hm…” Isabelle hums, tapping the bottom of her chin. “I’m not really sure. I love this village and everyone in it, but i don’t think that's the same. Perhaps one day.”

“...Yeah.” I chuckle, nervously. “One day.”

“Oh, I’m almost done with the smithery. Did you craft the necessary blocks?”

“Yep. Stone cutter, blast furnace, grindstone, and the smithing table. I also added a couple more furnaces and a crafting table. Couldn’t hurt to have one more around.”

“Don’t I know it.” Isabelle cuckles. “What did you have planned for the rest of the day?”

“Well, I have the bath house that I promised that i’d start or i can start on the town square or the merchant stands… did you have something in mind?”

“No, I was just wondering what I could help you with.”

“Oh, well… actually, there is one thing that I want to do before I begin anything else.” I say, heading off to Suzette’s hut, Isabelle following behind with a “What?”

“Oh… good morning.” Suzette says, barely opening the door.

“Hey… I wanted to show you something. I think you will like it.”

“Um… right now?”

“If it’s okay with you. I thought that you would appreciate coming with me while there is still light out.”

“I do…” Suzette says, peeking her head out before stepping out. I take her paw and lead her toward the tavern, opening the doors and showing her around.

“Digby seemed to have the idea that you could run this place. If you want that is.” I say, turning to her, only to find her sniffling and wiping tears from her face. “I-I’m sorry, please don’t cry.”

“You have no clue how much this means to me, Shepherd.” she says. “Not a clue. I’m so grateful.”

“Uh… mind clueing me in?”

“Just… just a bit. Before I moved to Bellstone, I lived in a village with a bunch of family and other critters. Worked with my ma and pa in the diner and fought with my brother, Graham, the nerd.” she chuckles fondly before shifting into a saddened look. “One day, a zombie raid happened midday out of nowhere. Not many of us made it out. The village was burned to the ground and graves were dug. I was a wreck, had a friend look over me and eventually dump me here when she got tired of taking care of me.”

“Oh…”  _ What does anyone say to that? _

“Just know that this is greatly appreciated.” she sas turning toward the kitchen. “Now… What should I make first? Perhaps something light?”

It warmed my heart to see Suzette unwind. _ I hope overtime perhaps everyone will come around to me like she has. _

“Ah, just the right timing, I see.” Merlin smiles, holding up a cup. “Drink this.”

Everyone in the room looks warily at the cup before Petra volunteers to take the first sip. Her tongue slithers, licking her lips after the cup retreats from them.

“It’s milk.” she says simply. “Soy milk to be exact. The professor has been working really hard all night to perfect such a recipe. We also have samples of almond, rice, and peanut milk. Other tests will be run to make other substitutes.”

“Indeed. Using the new pressure machine that i have taken time to perfect, i can also now make tofu and specified oils and juices. This opens our options greatly.”

Suzette’s eyes sparkle.

“This is great news. Perhaps I should make a feast tonight. I feel as if there are a lot of things we could celebrate this evening.”

“Oh… that would be lovely.”

“Yeah… that reminds me…” I say, nudging at Isabelle. “There are some things that I need to speak to Isabelle about.”

Excusing ourselves, I led Isabelle to the well before turning to her.

“Not to dampen a happy moment… but we need to discuss our situation when it comes to bells. If we want to meet this month’s quota… we need to figure out how we are going to gather up enough bells.”

“Oh, Shepherd, don’t you worry.” she says, patting my head. “I already have this covered.”

“You keep saying that, but…”

“You don’t believe me.”

“No… that’s not it… I don't know… I want to help, if i can… I’ve been thinking about going to other cities to establish trade with them. Maybe take in some requests and offer some of the settlers some time to stay and see if they want to stay here. It’ll spread publicity…”

“While all that is great, it’ll take too much time.” Lottie says, walking toward us. I blush, noticing that she is wearing Digby’s shirt and tie. “What we need right now is to get a hold on reliable resources.”

“The Ressetti mines.” Isabelle says. “That’s the plan.”

“The what?”

“A good friend of mine, Mr. Resetti had an incident within his community. The mineshaft is known for having quite the prosperous arrangements. However, it’s been overrun as of late and needs clearing out.”

“And you planned on going alone?” I ask.

“...I did. But only when I knew that the town could function without me for a couple days… he’s not the only place I had in mind. There are multiple places within this forest that could use our help. The old lumber mill. The water tower. One of Cranny’s old ranger huts.”

“... I take it that these forests have been barren for a long while.” Lottie ponders.

“Unfortunately.” Isabelle nods. “That’s why Shepherd's idea is a good one. If we make a name for ourselves and make it safer for people to travel here, surely we can get our name out and expand.”

“Let’s not get too hasty. Finishing quests are dangerous and might not yield in profitable results like you expect them to… let’s see how this expedition in the mines go first. In the meantime, Digby and I will watch over the town.”

“Are you sure?” I ask, feeling all of this rush through my mind.  _ If Isabelle and I are able to gather enough bells for this month’s rent, we’ll be extremely lucky. Something tells me that we’ve had it way too easy as of right now, though. _

“We can head out in the morning towards Mythport. The mines aren’t too far from there.” Isabelle nods.

“We can notify all the villagers in the morning.” Lottie agrees.

**Day 15**

“Welcome to Mythport!” a brown doe with ruddy cheeks greets, running up to us with two scarfs. She wraps a scarf around each of us. “Here have a complementary scarf to fend off the nippy cold.”

“Yes, welcome.” says a brown buck with sandy colored antlers. “This is my sister, Fauna, and my name is Erik.”

It took 2 days to get there by trail, the village settled at the foot of the mountains and the river to the west.

Mythport was known for its industrial design, using golems to mine and smelt. Everything needs to be made quickly to be smithed and shipped out. If you knew your way around a forge, this was the place to be. Most of your machines and weapons, if not homemade, were shipped from here. But ever since the Resetti mines and the lumber mill has shut down, there’s been a considerable stop in production.

“My name is Shepherd and this is Isabelle.” I smile, reaching out my hand. Fauna shakes it enthusiastically. “We come from the town of Bellstone.”

“What?!? No way!” Fauna says, shocked. “I heard that place was raided out of existence. It’s still around.”

“It is.” Isabelle nods. “Alive and better than ever since Shepherd came to help us out.”

“Well, your one of the lucky ones. I heard Lovelyton was raided and ransacked and burned to the ground and-”

“Fauna. Don’t get yourself worked up.” her brother says, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Sorry, she’s just been a little stirred up with everything that’s going on. Our main priority right now is to survive on what little we got right now, so I hope mushroom stew is okay with you guys for the next couple of days.”

“Actually, we come bearing gifts!” Isabelle smiles, motioning to my bookbag.

“Oh! I love gifts!” Fauna says with a gleam in her eye. “Let’s go back into the lounge because I’m freezing!”

She leads us to a large wood cabin inn, ushering us into the lounge. The fireplace crackled, mostly leftover cinders and low on wood. Inside the inn were several other occupants, all of them doing their best to entertain themselves.

At a table near what must be the tavern was a yellow dog who has a brown nose and thick black eyebrows surrounded by a dog with light pink fur, a brown dog whose face and legs fade from a dark brown to a lighter brown, and a fairly solemn-looking, brown anteater.

“And that’s how I got this scar right here.” the yellow dog says, motioning toward his bicep. “That’ll teach me not to forgo sleeves next time.”

“Oh wow.” the pink dog says, nuzzling up to his bicep. “That must’ve hurt so much.”

“Well, it feels better now that you’re leaning on it.” he says, tilting her head up.

“Hey, Megumi. Don’t hog Champagne all to yourself!” the brown dog whines, wrapping her arms around Champagne’s neck.

“Like you have room to talk, Bea.” the anteater sulks, holding a bottle of sparkling juice.

“Don’t worry ladies, there’s enough to go around.”

At the bar was a sleeping purple bear with a tan muzzle, shiny black nose, and a curly black unibrow, the pink bear with cream paws and a cream snout bartender wiping up the drool puddle around him. At the other end of the bar was a purple female bird with a yellow beak, blatantly hitting on a purple bird with black hair and some red details, who seems like he wants to be anywhere but there.

And at another table were two old blue goats playing cards with an orange-skinned bear with his cub in his lap.

“Well, this is everyone!” Fauna says with a smile. “Make yourself at home!”

“Oh… is Resetti not here?”

“Resetti?” Erik says. “He still lives up near the mineshaft, the crazy coot. Refuses to leave despite knowing how dangerous it is. His brother and wife come down every now and again to grab supplies though.”

“Oh, that’s good to hear. We can visit them tomorrow then.” Isabelle says. 

“So.. you said something about gifts.”

“Yeah, we heard that you were low on supplies so we thought we would be generous enough to give you some.” I say, pulling out some of the crops that Joan was nice enough to give us. Mostly things like carrots, potatoes, leaks, tea, and other things that can be used to make warm meals.

“Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Fauna cries out, giving us a big hug. “You have no clue how sick we are of mushroom stew!”

“I didn’t mind it that much.” Erik shrugs.

“Oh really, then I hope you don’t mind finishing off the soup while the rest of us have stewed carrots.” Fauna says, skipping toward the kitchen while her brother follows behind with a “What?!? Hey!”

As we go around we begin to introduce ourselves with the residents of Mythport. Isabelle seemed especially invested in hearing stories from the elder goats. 

“Mythport used to be a wealthy village back in the day.” One of the goats, Sven, says. “Ran by two fillies who lost their parents when they went off before “the incident”.”

“Ah yes, rumor has it that one went crazy and lives high in the mountain with her magical snow golems.” says the other elder, Iggy. “The other one married and had the two foal who run the village this very day.”

“We know, you’ve told us this story multiple times.” Ike, the father bear, says in a fond manner. His cub, Poko, however seemed invested in the story, shushing his father.

“I heard that one of her snowmen became corrupted and attacked her. Poor gal.”

After supper, Fauna was quick to get us a room.

“We only have one room left. Sorry.” Fauna says, opening the door to what looks like a master bedroom. “All our rooms are made in this format for maximum comfort, so i hope this is okay. Again, I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re alright.” Isabelle confirms.

“Oh okay. I’ll get you two up when it's breakfast time.” she says, before closing the door.

For a moment, the both of us stare at the bed before Isabelle shrugs and begins taking off her clothes, changing into her pajamas. I turn around quickly with an “Isabelle.” and blush. For a moment I contemplated what I thought she would sleep like but decided that it didn’t matter and that I should stop acting weird and get in bed already.

“Sorry. I’ll take the right side, okay?” she says, laying down and curling up like a dog on the bed. 

“Good night.”

“Yeah, night.”

_ Now only if my heart would stop pounding so hard. _

**Day 16**

“Rising!” Fauna calls out, waking the both of us. Sometime throughout the night, Isabelle must’ve shifted because now she laid in bed next to me, cuddling the discarded pillow from her side.

“Hey, morning.”

“No.” Isabelle groans, turning over. I chuckle.

“Come on, Isabelle.”

“No.”

“Please?”

“...fine give me 5.” she whimpers, snuggling back into the pillow. I reach out to pet her head but she grabs it. “Don’t patronize me, Shepherd.”

“Right, got it.”

A fresh log of wood burned out in the lounge, Erik sitting at a table, drinking some of the tea that was gifted, seemingly still half asleep. Fauna on the other hand, skipped and hummed about, pulling up a chair for the both of us and pouring some tea and asked “Good morning, you two! Sleep well?”

“We did. Thank you.” I say, sitting a half-awake Isabelle down. “Thanks again for having us.”

“Oh don’t worry about it.” Erik waves off. “We’re grateful for the supplies that you’ve given us. We’ve had a little problem with production as of late now that resources have been hard to come by.”

“Yeah, i wanted to talk more about that.” I say. “What seems to be the problem?”

“Oh, where do we start?” Erik hums, taking another sip of tea. “As you know, corruption is spreading fast and despite Cranny’s efforts… it’s pretty bad.”

“You guys keep mentioning this Cranny person, who are they?”

“The Cranny’s come from the other side, they call it THE NETHER, and basically are hellbent of getting rid of corruption and restoring balance. The Nether is infectious, causing things to go savage, spawn monsters, raising the dead, or downright sucking the life out of things. So their job is a big deal.”

“I see… so what’s taking them so long?”

“They're probably keeping their main focus on destroying nether portals and nether structures of right now. Ever since Nether structures appeared in the “Overworld” corruption has spread and monsters have spawned significantly.”

“Just a couple weeks ago, some of the peaceful snowmen of the mountain had gone savage. While we were able to fend off most of them, some of them had managed to hole themselves up in Mr Resetti’s mines and cut us off from some settlements higher in the mountain. Our mother went up to go check up on them but we haven’t heard much since then.”

“Since we can’t get the supplies we need, we’ve been surviving on the resources we had stored away in case of emergencies. But as you can see, they dwindled quickly.” Eric noted. “Due to the lack of resources and work, most of our villagers either decided to help our mother with the other settlements or leave town entirely, it's a shame really.”

“Not that we blame them or anything.” Fauna sighs.

“Well, what if i said that i- we could help you?” Isabelle speaks up, placing down her empty cup.

“We’d be so grateful and forever in your debt.” Erik says at the same time as his sister proclaims “I’d shower you with kisses.” 

Both Isabelle and I blushed at Fauna’s answer, Isabelle cleared her throat before continuing with “Along with creating relations with your town, we were hoping to help Mr Resetti with his problems in hopes of retaking the area and trading resources.”

“We would be more than grateful to start a trading service with you… but first we need to speak to our mother and make sure the other settlements are okay. Could you, by any chance, spare some time to deliver a written message to her as you verse the mountain?”

“Of course.” I nod. 

“Good, when do you plan to begin your journey?”

“As soon as possible if that’s okay with you.”

“Oh… then please, have some breakfast before you leave. I made pudding!” Fauna squeals as she jumps up to serve us some.

We leave at noon, Fauna giving us gloves and hats and Erik giving us instructions up the mountain, marking potentially dangerous spots and the settlements he wanted us to check up on along with Resetti’s mine.

The first settlement we come across seems to be a guard tower, having a handful of guards in the area.

“Hello.” Isabelle greets a black cat with blue eyes and hat. He looks up and goes “Who the heck are you?” in a monotone voice. A blonde mouse pokes his head out of the tower window before screaming with a “Ack! Who are these guys!”

“I don’t know… that’s why I’m asking them.” the cat says, his voice unchanging.

“Oh… we’re messengers from Mythport. We brought up some supplies.” Isabelle says, holding out the nicely whittled basket that Fauna gave us full of food. The cat blinks for a moment before taking the basket with a “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. Fauna wanted to know if everything is alright up here.”

“Well, we’re running low on wood so we’ve resorted to sleeping in each other's chambers. So maybe some wood and blankets would be nice.” calls out a ginger deer, cuddling up with a dalmatian under a blanket, reading a book.

“Oh quit your complaining, you love cuddling under your little blanket with our mutt boyfriend.” says a chubby hamster sulks in the corner. A blonde possum villager was eyes deep in it’s jacket, playing in the snow.

“You're just mad that no one would cuddle with you because you hog all the blankets.” the possum mumbles through his hood.

“Oh hey, if you’re going up the mountain. Can you give this to Wendy.” says the dalmatian. He pulls out a pink beanie. “She left it over here during her last visit.”

“Of course.” 

The next settlement was a large igloo-like structure with a couple snowmen outside. However, these snowmen seemed to be small and friendly, even taking the time to stop, smile, and wave at us as we approached. Inside was a cat wearing a pink coat, tending to some strange flowers and berry bushes while a blonde goat sat in the corner, knitting.

“Oh hello,” a larger blue gorilla with gray hair snowman greets, holding an assortment of snow cones in his hands. “Snow Cone?”

“Uh, no thank you.” I say, looking around. “We were looking for a Wendy?”

The cat’s ear perks before turning with a “Yes?”

“Uh, we have a delivery for you.” I say, holding out a basket along with the pink beanie. Her eyes sparkled, rushing over to put the beanie on. 

“Oh thank goodness, i thought i lost it.” she says. “Anyways, what are you doing so high up on the mountain?”

“We were heading up to the Resetti mines.”

“What?!?” the goat says, jumping up. “It’s dangerous to go up there!” 

“We heard that he needed help and that’s what we are here to do.” Isabelle says with a nod. Both the cat and the goat nod at each other.

“Well, before you do that, you’re going to need these.” the goat says, turning to the berries. She picks some of them, revealing their ic blue hue. She then drops them in a juicer and fills multiple vials up with the juice.

“These are Frost Berries. If eaten in berry form, they will cause frostbite and slowness, causing you to take damage. However, if you juice them, you can potentially make potions with the juice, turning them into a potion of Frostbite or Frost Resistance.”

“They’re also just a nice refreshing beverage.” the snowman adds. The goat rolls her eyes.

“You’re going to need these in order to survive the colder temperatures of the higher mountain.”

“Oh, thank you.” I say, taking the multiple bottles. 

“No problem. Be safe out there.”

The climb to Resetti’s mountain was a slick and steep one, the snow swallowing us to the knees with each step. Suddenly, it felt like we were in a blizzard, wind and snow slapping us in the face. It felt as if we were going slower then normal.

“Here.” I say, pulling out a bottle of the Frost berry juice and handing it to Isabelle. She grabs it and nods with a “Cheers.” before drinking it. I follow her stead. The drink was warm and refreshing, despite it being a bit tart to taste.

“That’s better.” I sigh. “Now let's get to these mines before nightfall.”

“Right.”

Resetti’s mine sits nearly at the top of the mountain, the opening of the mineshaft boarded up with large signs that said warnings such as “KEEP OUT” and “DANGER” and “NO TRESPASSING OR IT'S YOUR FUNERAL”.

“Wow, this guy means business.” I say, a bit intimidated. Isabelle shrugs it off with a simple “He means well.”

Opening the doors, we are met with the screaming mole himself as he storms over with a “Does anybody read anymore?!? Keep out means to stay out, turn around and leave, there’s nothing for you here! How can I make it any more clear?!? Do you have a death wish?!?” while waving his arms around and stomping his feet.

Isabelle, however, didn’t seem bothered or fazed at his action.

“Now, Sonny, is that how we greet a long time friend?” says a taller mole, calm and serene. “She came all this way to see us and here you are making a fuss.”

“Well, someone has to! We’ve been out of commission for weeks, we have little food or water, running on the lowest power possible without freezing our butts off!”

“That doesn’t make it right to yell at someone.”

Sonny sighs with a “No, I guess not.” before turning to us and apologizing. “Sorry for being tightly wound. Things have been hectic lately… whatever the case, it’s nice to see you again Isabelle.”

“Likewise.”

“And who’s this?”

“Oh, this is Shepherd, he works in Bellstone with Digby and I. He’s a good friend so be nice.”

“Shepherd, eh? Well, put ‘em ere, boy.” Sonny says, holding out his hand. “The names Resetti, Mr Resetti but friends can call me Sonny. My brother over there is Don.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” I say, shaking his hand.

“So… about your mines?”

“Oh, it’s a disaster! They’re overrun with those snow abominations!” Mr Resetti fumes. “I told that witch to get rid of them but she said she couldn’t. She said that the corruption in the caves ran too deep.”

“Sounds difficult.” I say, rubbing the back of my neck.

“Don’t you worry. Both Shepherd and I can help.” Isabelle says, taking hold of my hand. “Just leave it to us.”

Resetti lets out a loud, gut-busting chortle.

“Please, if I couldn't take that beast down what makes you-” Resetti’s sentence gets cut off as his eyes zero’d in on Isabelle’s, seeing the burning fire burning within them and roasting him alive. “Uh… of course, if you need anything, you can use any of the scraps that? Take a pickaxe even, as long as I get 40 percent, I'll let you keep most of the loot that you gathered.”

“Deal.”

Upon Resetti’s request, we look around in the assorted chests for things to take. Don gave us coats to go with our gear as an extra layer and wished us luck. Taking a couple pickaxes and swords along with us down into the mineshaft, stopping every now and again to collect an exposed vein of resources or valuables. 

“Ah, Isabelle, before you go.” Sonny says, pulling out a red quiver and a sword. “Take these on, use them when you fight that darn monster. With these you should be able to cut through ‘em like warmed butter.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“Don’t mention it, now go get ‘em.”

The deeper we got into the colder it got, the more we found mobs around the corner, each of tem adapted to this certain terrain. In some caverns in the caves, the packed ice was the only thing keeping the walls of the cave together, in otters large ice spikes hung over your head like a sword on a string. Around every corner was some kind of threat lurking about from ice Skeletons to creepers to frozen zombies and even frostbitten spiders.

_ Strangely enough, we hadn’t come across any corrupted golems… or golems in general... _

“Here,” I say, holding out one of our last bottles of Frostberry juices.  _ Even while using them sparingly to fight off the cold, there wasn’t much left we could do. We might end up freezing down here after all. _

“I’m running low on regular arrows.” Isabelle sighs, cocking her last stack of arrows. My iron sword wasn’t faring too well either, causing us both to sigh. Looking down at what we have left of this mine, it looks like the Resetti's hadn’t gotten to mining and structuring that far.

“See anything?” I ask Isabelle, knowing she can see better in the dark then I can. _ Perks of being an animal, i guess.  _

“Nothing unusual… there’s a glow at the bottom of the cave.”

“A glow?”

“Yeah… a glow.”

“Okay… do you think we can get down there?”

“There’s only one way to find out.” Isabelle says, pulling out her ribbon and dropping it. The clatter of the bells chime when they hit the ground’s surface below.

“Sounds safe to me.” she says, pulling out some rope and getting it ready for spelunking. 

When we get to the ground level, we see immediately what is causing the glowing. A crystal cove full of blueish-purple crystals that almost reached our height. The glowing gleam was bright enough to light up the cave walls and reflect our images.

“Oh wow.” Isabelle says, her eyes, gleaming. “We have to take some of these back for everyone.”

I nod in agreement, still being in awe of the sight before us. As we walked the hues of crystal changed from blue to turquoise and purple to pink, all the more stunning.

However, some prickled at the back of my neck, telling me that something was off.

**RAWR!**

The ground under us rumbles, causing the cave to shake and crystal stalagmites to fall, making us dodge for our lives. A snow beast rises up being twice a wide and tall as a normal iron golem. Blue ice spikes stabbed out of it’s forearm and held him together like thick veins. A boss tag raised over it’s head, labeled “Snow-bomination”.

“Isabelle!”

“On it!” she says, pulling out two of the firework arrows and shooting them off at the beast, it doing little to no damage. She tosses me the sword that Mr Resetti had given her, throwing down her old quiver for the newer one. 

The sword felt hot in my hands, warming them with a near burning sensation. Looking at the sword it reads “Blazing Strike” it pairing nicely to Isabelle’s Blazing Bomber crossbow. With a nod, we rush in to attack, Isabelle covering me and making openings for me to attack.

Like promising, the fire aspect cut through the corrupted snowman’s freezing exterior, causing the beast to melt. The beast cries out, the crystals in its arms glowing blue before an ice defect called “Blast Chill” in hopes of cooling itself down. 

Isabelle and I jumped back, hurt with the effect “Frostburn”, it giving a burn sensation that causes damage when we moved.

“Stay still. I got this!” Isabelle says, getting up. Rushing towards the beast she sets off multiples of the firework arrows before grabbing my sword and stabbing it into the beast's forehead. She backflips off the snowman, shooting in the chest with some of her fire arrows. 

The beast screeches out, the fire aspect burning through its entire body, melting rapidly. Snowballs and ice chunks land at its feet along with a couple soul gems and a special rare item.

However, I couldn't bring myself to be concerned about that. What I was concerned about was how Isabelle immediately collapsed after the fight was done. I call out to her, rushing to her side despite the pain.

“Isabelle! Isabelle! Hey wake up. Isabelle!”

Suddenly the crystals around me began to glow and i was blinded by a light.

_ “Set your mind at ease.” I hear a voice say, sweet and gentle. “I sense it. The kindness in your heart, the love you feel for your companion, and the great potential that lies beneath the surface. You are destined for great things, creating bonds that will move this world and shape it for the better. For this reason, I manifest myself before you, so raise your head.” _

_ A gentle paw tips my head upwards, a solid white chihuahua wearing a veil and a white toga dress, golden jewelry accenting the purple/pink color of her paws, ears, and nose. Moving the veil, she reveals her indigo eyes to me. _

_ Her touch felt so warm and calming, supernatural even. _

_ “We must part now, I am sure you are eager to see your friend once more. We will meet again, I am sure of it.” _

**Day 20**

When I wake up, I find myself on a cot, bandaged.

“Happy birthday!” calls out a snowman, giving me a big, frosty hug. “You’re finally awake.”

“Um… where am i?” I ask, sitting up. 

“You’re in the castle at the very top of the mountain, silly.” another snowman answers. “We’ve heard a lot about you. All good things. All good things.”

“Now, you two. Be careful, you might overwhelm him.” says a sparkly white unicorn in a sparkly blue dress. The two snowmen back away at her presence before scooting off. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay… where’s Isabelle? Is she okay?”

“Your doggy friend? She’s perfectly fine. Nothing that a little tentative care and magic couldn’t handle.” the unicorn waves a hoof at me. 

“Can i see her?”

“Of course.” She says, helping me up. She leads me into another room where Isabelle slept soundly, putting my mind and heart at ease. A brown mare stood next to her, wiping down her forehead and wounds, her bright orange hair tied back.

“How long have we’ve been out?”

“About 2-3 days.”

I jump, a little startled at her answer. In reality, i shouldn’t be all that surprised really, seeing how we both collapsed in the mines and all, but being out for that long made me worried about multiple things all at once,

“What appended in the mines? Where’s the chihuahua that saved us?”

“Chihuahua?” the unicorn asked, confused. “I’m not too sure about that, but we found you collapsed in the mines after Resetti had come to us furious and scared. With my snowman defeated, there was no corruption or magin that kept us from rescuing you. We immediately brought you back here and took care of you.”

“Oh… I see.” _ that can’t be right. I saw her… right? _

“Can you tell me how all of this came to being. How did your snowman become what we fought in the mines.”

“That one was actually my fault.” the brown mare speaks up. “A couple of months ago, an event happened that spreaded corruption throughout one of our settlement cities, causing multiple villagers to either become ill or go feral. As a precaution, I had asked my sister to create more snowmen to surround the perimeter and keep everyone safe. I couldn’t tell you how but some of the snowmen became corrupted and began attacking people.”

“I guess that makes sense, I've seen multiple snowmen around all the other camps.”

“Tell me, how is Mythport fairing?”

“Oh, Erik and Fauna are doing their best to keep Mythport running on what they have, but now that the mines are cleared out, they could possibly start up the village again.”

“That’s good to hear, I need to stay up here with my sister and watch over the corruption just a while longer. In the meantime, I can call for an escort to drop you off.”

“That would be great… can i…” I motion towards Isabelle. The mare nods, getting up and going into another room, closing the door behind here.

“Isabelle.” I nudge at her, taking her paw. She groans with a “Shepherd?”, stirring a bit and revealing her state of undress as the blanket slides down and revealing her shoulder. She squeezes my hand and turns to me, opening her eyes. I smile with a “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me too.” Isabelle says, sitting up. I immediately turn my gaze away with a squeaky “Isabelle!” before she notices her state of array. Not saying anything, she simply gets dressed and notifies me when she is done.

“I hope I'm not intruding or anything.” Mr Resetti says, allowing himself entry, his brother following behind him. “Thought i would come check up on ya now that you’re awake.”

“You gave us quite the scare.” Don agrees. “I’m glad to see that you are okay.”

“We’re sorry about what happened in the mines… was everything we dug up recovered?”

“Of course!” Mr Ressetti smiles. “And what a haul! Should’ve talked you into giving me a bigger dent of the pot, seeing how much you two managed to scrounge up.”

“Oh please,” Isabelle waves off. “You two did most of the work, we only took what was exposed to us. There’s probably more cobblestone and coal ten anything else.”

“The way Mythport goes through coal isn’t something to sneeze at. I could easily make a living off of a couple stacks of the stuff. As for the stone, Don could melt that stuff down and use it in his forge. We don’t waste materials around here, missy.”

“Then perhaps we can negotiate.” Isabelle says in her business voice. “I’m sure we can come down to a reasonable agreement.”

“Really?” I look between the two. “Isabelle, you just woke up. Don’t you think you should take some time to recover before jumping back into business.”

Isabelle’s face ponders for a moment before sighing “You’re right.” she looks at Resetti with a “Maybe next time?” 

“Drat! Alright then, you take care of yourself, you hear?” Mr Resetti says, snapping his fingers. “I took my share already, so put this loot to good use, got it? Might have to come to see Bellstone sometime, see how you’ve been handling the place.”

“We’ll be looking forward to it.” I smile, rubbing the back of my neck.

“And if you need anything from us in the future, just let us know. We are forever grateful for your service.” Don says. “Don’t be strangers and travel safely.”

Isabelle nods with a “We’ll try.” before turning to me with a “Let’s go home, Shepherd.”

“Yeah.”

We are escorted back to Mythport by a reindeer with a glowing red nose, leading us down a pat that allows us to stop at every settlement to hand out some goods and get back before sundown where Fauna awaits us with hugs.

“We heard that you almost died in the mines!” she cries out, giving us the biggest hug. “We were so worried.”

“Fauna.” Erik reprimands, lightly bonking her on the head before turning back to us with a “We’re glad that you are safe. Welcome back.”

“It’s good to be back.” Isabelle smiles.

“You came just in time for supper.” Erik says. “Madame Rosa had made us something special tonight with some of the supplies you gave us.”

When they escorted us into the inn, we were surprised to see that the main room was filled with the occupants from the other night. The atmosphere was completely different.

“I heard that you defeated the rouge snow golem!” Megumi says, rushing towards us, her eyes sparkling.

“I heard that you almost died in battle.” Bea says, following her lead. “They said that you held onto your girlfriend until the very end. How romantic.”

“Is it true? That you defeated the rogue snowman? Was it really as big as they say? Did he use magic? Tell us, tell us.” the young bear cub, Poko, jumps up and down.

“Now now, let them breathe.” Ike reprimanded, picking up his cub and moving him to the side. “Perhaps they would like to sit down and have a drink or two after their long journey.”

“If it’s a drink that they are after then wraps they would like a sip of Nosegay’s special sparkling juice.” says the anteater, pouring each of us a glass as her two dog companions sit us down at a table. “A special bubbly blend of fruit juices blended together, a secret that runs in the family.”

_ Nosegay… that’s an unfortunate name. _

“Nosegay, what a lovely name.” Isabelle smiles, almost as if she had read my mind.

Champhenge giggles as if a joke was made.

“Oh, thank you. Not many think so.” the anteater blushes.  _ Wow… I feel really bad now. I’m a total jerk. _ “Nosegay is a word meaning "bunch of flowers used to delight the sense of smell” so… It’s not exactly a name that I'm proud of but it’s mine, you know?”

“You should be proud of your name. It sounds lovely.” 

“Thank you.”

“Settle down now, everyone. Madame Rosa has graced you with something that will send your tastebuds to the Aether and beyond.” says the bird dramatically, waving her feathers in front of her face like a fan. “Behold!”

Plates of vegetable medley were served, the smell being absolutely divine.

“This is so yummy.” Isabelle coos, spoon dangling in her mouth. I smile and nod with agreement.

“So… you gonna tell us your story or not?” Champagne says, obviously not used to not getting attention from his girls, who sit idly nearby.

“Yeah, will you tell us, please?” Poko speaks up.

“I’d like to hear a story myself.” Sven says, lifting his head. Iggy nods with a “I want to know how the young mare is doing in her palace.”

“Oh… well… if you want to hear…”

“We do.” Bea jumps up, scooting her chair closer.

“Yes please.” Megumi follows.

Champagne growls, Nosegay comforting him with a pat on the face and pouring him another glass of juice which he accepts and kisses her hand thankful.

We tell our story as we ate, the fire crackling behind us. 

**Day 21**

“Do you really have to leave so soon?” Fauna whines. “We were finally starting to bond.”

“We do, but I promise that we will meet again.”

“We better, Isabelle, we’re going to be the best of friends you hear me?” Fauna says, holding onto her paws.

“Thanks again for all of your help.” Erik says, shaking my hands. “Thanks to you we can kickstart our businesses again. Are you sure that you want to leave all of this coal and iron with us?”

“Positive, think of us paying forward the beginning of our settlements alliance.”

“Then if that’s the case we’ll have to hurry to make ourselves useful to you.” Erik smiles.

As we headed out, I couldn't help but look over at Isabelle and think about what had happened in the mines. How she almost sacrificed herself for me and…

“Shepherd, can we talk?” Isabelle says.

“Hm… yeah?”

“You’re acting strange.” she points out. “You have been ever since the mines. If it’s about me getting hurt… Getting hurt is part of the job, Shepherd. I knew what i was getting into before i went in and expected nothing less when it happened.”

“But it doesn’t make it okay.” I say. “I was so worried that I had lost you. What would I say to Digby, to the others, if I had? I would never be able to forgive myself.”

“I understand that-”

“I don’t think you do…” I say, my chest hurting. “Isabelle… you are a great friend and someone i hold dear, despite the little time i have known you… I hold everyone in the village dear to me, you guys aren’t just a job to me anymore…”

“Shepherd.”

“There’s nothing that i wouldn’t do for you guys… I want to help in any way that i can… so let me help!” my voice raises without my intention. “Don’t go doing dangerous stuff like that when I can be there for you, you got that. Don’t ever make me feel like that ever again. I don’t think… I don't think my heart could take it.”

“...you’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Just be okay and safe.”

“Right.”

**Day 23**

“Mr Shepherd!” Daisy Mae greets, hugging me, her hat having an assortment of apples and apple products in it.

“Hey, welcome back.” Agnes says, with a smile. “You came just in time, Digby has been working himself overtime waiting for your return.”

“He has? On what?”

Not too far past the gates, it looks like Digby had taken initiative on building the merchant stands that i had planned on making, it seems like he had even taken time to arrange the pathway and garden to make the place look nice, even going as far as placing a fountain in the middle of the marketplace.

The dog in question laid on one of the incomplete stands, asleep with a hammer in hand. His clothes were disheveled, showing that he had been working for a while now. Lottie covers him with a blanket, shaking her head.

“Welcome back you two, you won’t believe all the things Digby has been working on.” Lottie smiles. “How was your trip?”

“Well-”

“A complete success.” Isabelle smiles.

“That’s good to hear.” Lottie beams. “Also, after smelting all the gold you guys dug up, I’m glad to inform you that we might be able to reach this and next month’s quota. There was more than enough gold to pay off this month’s debt.”

“That’s great news, if that’s the case then we might be able to spend some bells on something luxurious!” Isabelle beams. “Isn’t this great news, Shepherd.”

“Yeah…” I smile nervously. I guess we’re just not going to tell them about what happened in the mines. I wonder if that’s for the best. “You said Digby was overworking himself… can we see what he was working on?”

“Of course, you’re going to love it.” She motions towards the marketplace, there being multiple stands, storage units, and even a campgrounds set up. The fountain and the standing gardens tied the place together, straying from the blueprints and making it into our own. “This is his latest project.”

Lottie leads us towards the middle of town, near the well, where Digby had made a town square sit-in garden complete with a homemade pond. It looks like it took him awhile to make the stone wall outline he had put up, it having such detail while also carrying the same kind of aesthetic that the outer wall has. He had planted rose bushes near a pavilion he had built for people to sit at and benches under an apple tree near the pond, along with a fire pit with logs to sit upon.

“Oh wow.” Isabelle gasps, looking around.

“I had to do the gardening for him, seeing as he didn’t have the slightest clue where to put anything. The blueprints only taught him so much it seems.”

“You two did a wonderful job.”

“Thanks… but that’s not all.”

“There’s more?” I say with sock. I’m going to have to make this up for Digby.

“Uh-huh, he was really lonely it seems.” Agnes says, winking at me and Isabelle. We continue to stroll until we get to the farms where we see several new structures have been obstructed. “He crafted a mill, apiary, a greenhouse and other various machines to help with the farm's production.”

“Oh wow.” Isabelle gasps. 

“Yeah…” I said, looking around. This… this was something. “How do you think we repay him?”

“I don’t think you need to. He said that it was you who inspired him to do all this.”

“What? Me?!?”

“Said something about he was sure you two were going to become enemies when you first arrived or how reality was going to break both his and Isabelle’s heart. How you changed everything, and now he has to make up for the time he could have been helping Isabelle instead of tearing her down.”

“That’s… really mature of him.”

“That’s Digby for ya.”

“Oh but Shepard… this almost completes all of the projects that you had planned.” Isabelle says. 

“All expect the bathhouse and library.” I nod. “However, those can wait. I think we should probably get started on rebuilding everyone’s houses for the time being.”

“That sounds like a splendid idea, Shepherd my boy!”

I jump after receiving an unexpected slap on the back from Merlin, appearing from nowhere.  _ How does he do that? _ __   
  


“Perhaps you can start in my abode if you don’t mind.” the alchemist says. “I would like to tuck myself into the furthest back corner, as not to disturb anyone when my experiments go haywire.”

“Oh so now you care.” Agnes says, crossing her arms.

“I always cared.” Merlin says. “I am a man of science but even I have compassion. That is why I have been contributing and keeping myself busy with minor tasks.”

“I would also like for our village to have a medical bay, if that is alright with you, Sir Shepherd.” Petra agrees. “Although i spend most of my time helping the professor, i can always be of service when someone is injured.”

“Ah, that’s a sound point.” Merlin says. “One can never be too careful. Perhaps we can start accumulating some medicines while we wait.”

“Of course. Professor.”

“Oh, hey don’t forget the red moon is coming.”

“The red moon?” I ask, tilting my head. 

“It’s a phenomenon that happens once a month, the night sky turns red and the undead are fiercer than ever before. Usually, we hole ourselves up in our cabins and hope for the best while Isabelle and Digby fend off what they can.” Merlin says. “If worse comes to worse, we always hire back up just in case.”

“Do you think we have enough time to hire a hunter, though?” Isabelle asks. “Can we even afford it?”

“We can more ten afford it for the night, however we’ll have to pay extra if we want to request a certain one.” Lottie says. “It shouldn’t take them more than 2-3 days to get here anyway.”

“That’s more than enough time.” I nod. “If we prioritize things, we should be able to build a couple new houses by then.”

“Right.”

“I’ll move some of the resources around tonight so you can get started in the morning then.” Agnes contributes. I smile at her with a “I would appreciate that.” before her ears perk up.

“Oh before I forget, you also have several letters for you.” 

She digs around in her pockets before pulling out several letters, the first one seemingly coming from a person named Phyllis, reading:

_ To whom this may concern, _

_ After being sent on a fool’s errand, I have decided that it was time to leave the nest and settle down somewhere where I can relax. This letter is my formal request to move into your village as soon as you will have me. _

I blink, reading the letter, it comes off as spiteful and cranky.

The next letter was more gentle and light-hearted, coming from Kelly, reading:

_ To Mister Shepherd, _

_ I would like to thank you for your services, as well as for the magnificent quality of the trades you made with me. Due to such great abundance and quality, i was able to help several other villages greatly and make quite the amount of bells along the way.  _

_ Of course, I am willing to share some of the profit from such trades, so in this letter is your cut. If you would like to work together again in the future, i would be more than happy to work again. _

_ Also, you asked and I have delivered… sorta. As of right now, the trader's guild will send you one merchant at a time but as your population and village proceeds to expand, I'm sure more will be sent your way. _

It sounds like Kelsy is trying her hardest to make it in the world.

Another letter was addressed from a “A good ol’ friend.”

_ Hey Buddy _

_ How’s the village life been treating you so far? How’s the locals, they treating you alright. Was the trip worth it? _

I sigh in relief as I figure out the mysterious writer of the letter, continuing to read.

_ Things have been getting real rowdy down here at Settler’s Lair. Settlers new and old are coming in like hotcakes and I'm running out of space to put them. That’s when I remembered my good ol pal that doesn’t live too far off. I’ll stop by someday with some new bright eyed patrons, what do you say? _

“New patrons? We barely have decent housing for the patrons that we already have… I’ll have to step up my game before that happens.”

The last letter read CONFIDENTIAL and URGENT on the envelope.

_ For whom this concerns. As of late, I have been looking for several fugitives within the area known for ransacking and pillaging weak and unprotected villages with minor defenses. As a word of caution, I have written this letter in hopes that you get it before you fall victim to these dastardly thieves. _

_ If you come across any of these suspicious faces, please contact me immediately.  _

Inside the envelope was a couple pictures of the “suspicious” criminals.

“Um… Shepherd, can I talk to you for a moment.” Suzeete asks, peeking her head out of the tavern, waving me over.

“Hm. Yeah, what is it?” I ask, jogging over.

Stepping inside the tavern, I am met face to face with one of the suspicious faces, the one they call Mckenzie. However, she was far more beaten up then in the picture.

“What are you doing here.” I say, drawing my sword.

“I come in peace. Please don’t hurt me… I need your help.” the cat whimpers, holding up her hands.

“My help? With what?” I glared at her. “I don’t help thieves.”

“I know that i’m a criminal and all but you have to believe me…” she says. “We don’t have much time. Isadore is…”

Her eyes glistened with tears and her voice breaks off in incomprehensible whimpers.

“... fine. I’ll listen but the moment anything fishy goes on, I won't hesitate.”

_ I’m going to have to remind myself to build a jail somewhere. _

**That night**

“So, she’s one of the survivors of Lovelyton.” Isabelle says, sitting in my tent with Digby and Lottie.

“One out of the 5, she says.” I nod. “Says that the mayor of their village had died during one of the many raids during the “incident” and the runner up abused the rest of them.”

“So much so that one of the villagers finally snapped and killed him.” Digby says, arms crossed.

“And now this lioness is watching over them like a den, stealing from caravans and smaller weaker villages to get by.”

“That’s horrible.” Lottie says.

“Is it bad… that I can see where she is coming from. The lioness, I mean. She was just worried about those who cared about… I don't condone killing, of course, but…”

“Noble cause or not, she’s still a murderer.” Digby dismisses.

“Yeah but in times like these, we don’t really have a law enforcement, so even if they catch her, what would they do?”

“That’s what Mckenzie is so shaken up about… that and it seems this lioness might be dying.”

“What?!?” the three exclaimed.

“From what I understand from this, they were attacked during their last scavenging session. The lioness jumped in front of Mckenzie to protect her and got bitten by a zombie… amongst other injuries. She says that while the other injuries are treatable… a zombie bite isn’t.”

“Three days…” Isabelle says, depressed.

“It won’t even matter if we reports this or not.”

“That’s not true… we still can do something…” I say, my fingernails digging into my palm. “Mckenzie asked us to help her… to help the lioness before her time runs out.”

“And what exactly did you have in mind?” Digby says. “Even if we captured the lioness, she’s going to die no matter what. There is no treatment for zombie venom…”

“I’m sure that Merlin can think of something… if not a cure, a way to slow it down at least. There has to be a way.”

“Shepherd.”

“We have to think of the bigger picture. These are a bunch of villagers, running around trying to survive, scared out of their mind. And now they are watching one of their friends die.”

“...” the tree looked down at teground considerably for a moment, accessing and sorting out their thoughts and feelings.

_ “So we meet again, Inspector.”  _

_ “Let me help you, Isadore.” _

_ “It’s too late for that… too late for me.” _

_ “It doesn’t have to be this way.” _

_ “What other way could it be?” _

The bite on her forearm was only getting worse, the infection spreading further to the upper body and claiming her. She had already gone feral, it was only a matter of time before there would be no return.

But she was so dang stubborn. It was one of the things the inspector liked about her though, her drive.

Sure, she was a murderer. That’s not even a question. But her reasoning behind the murder was justified and with their being flimsy concepts of law nowadays, letting her slip in between his fingers had little to no consequences… until now that is.

With no one to rely on and desperate, Isadore has taken the last couple of her days terrorizing weaker villages into handing over most of their supplies in order to provide for her own village. After lots of abuse, she had become the very thing she sought out to destroy.

It was only a matter of time before her twin sister, Mckenzie, had sought out the Inspector to find and bring her sister back to her.

However, that was the challenge at hand.

He had bumped into Isadore multiple times, however, everytime he had ended up with her escaping for him to give chase once more. Like as if she wanted to draw out the inevitable.

And in a way, she was. With no cure to the zombie virus… the chance of curing her or her living was little to none. The inspector had been looking into it.


End file.
